Some With Arrows, Some With Traps
by refreshingbeverage
Summary: Love's first meetings. Note: This does not take place in Miami. Slash Horatio/Stetler. Rated M for language and sexual content. I do not own or claim to own any characters of the CSI franchise.
1. A Change of Scenery

**Chapter One: A Change of Scenery**

Horatio turned over on the soft yet unfamiliar mattress of the North Moose Lodge Hotel. He looked lazily over at the clock radio next to his bed. It read 5:06 am. He groaned softly and buried his head back into the pillows, trying to fall asleep. He had been up for several hours, his jet lag getting the best of him. He is used to getting up around five in the morning to get ready for his day shift at MD-PD, but this was his vacation; a vacation of mandatory time with other crime scene investigators from across the country. Every year several hundred are chosen at random and are brought to the mountains for skiing and teamwork games. Horatio was a little unsure as to why, but figuring that it couldn't hurt and was better than doing nothing, he went along with it.

Lieutenant Horatio Caine moaned again and tried to fall asleep harder. He was cold and up far too early, breakfast wouldn't even open until 7. He felt like an idiot for not bringing at least a book with him. After lying in several different positions he gave up and decided to eat up time by taking a nice long shower.

He threw the blankets off of his body, climbed out of the bed, turned on the light and stumbled over into the bathroom. The light was a bit too intense for him, he had to stand still and just blink for a little while. Finally after his eyes adjusted he turned to the mirror, his eyes falling upon his strong but pale body. He heaved a heavy sigh as he realized that his subtle Miami tan had already disappeared in the short day he had been gone. The freckles on his shoulders stood out more than he thought they usually should. He shrugged his change in appearance off, deciding that he would look even more ridiculous if the majority of his body wasn't covered in soft red hair. Horatio scratched at the stubble on his face for a few seconds before deciding to deal with it later.

The cold metal shower knob felt so strange and new to Horatio's hand. He shifted around a little, his nude body not used to the feeling of the cold mountain air. Thankfully, the water was warm and welcoming. He took a little step back before electing to sit down and let the water wash over him. He blinked the water out of his eyes as he slicked back his fiery red hair. The droplets beat down upon his chest and legs, soothing him. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

About 45 minutes later Horatio emerged from the bathroom, his body clean and his face shaven, a robe wrapped around his figure. He looked at the clock again, 6:12. _Damn._ Horatio bent over and dug around in his suitcase, wondering what to wear and how the hell he was going to spend the next ¾ of an hour. He dropped his robe, shuddering as a cold breeze breathed against his exposed body. He stepped into his boxers, then his nice black pants. There will be no skiing today, as today was the teamwork game day…whatever the hell that is. He stood shirtless before his suitcase wondering how many layers the weather would require him to wear. He parted the curtain slightly to take a peek outside.

The mountains were covered in beautifully white and glistening sheets of snow. The pine trees were generously dusted from last night's blizzard. Now everything was quiet, everything was still. Horatio's ocean blue eyes surveyed the land, he was breath taken by such beauty.

Turning away from the landscape, Horatio put himself to the task at hand, he was getting a little cold. _Undershirt, shirt, sweater, coat; that ought to do it_. He pulled on the rest of his clothes, slipped on his socks and stepped into his shoes. He pocketed his wallet and badge before snapping on his watch, he checked it. 6:30. _Screw it_. Snatching his room key, he stormed out of the room (which was beginning to feel more like a prison). He made his way down the halls, down the stairs, down more halls, and into the ball room, where he waited for his breakfast to be set before him.

***

The hall was remarkably large, with a roaring fireplace on one end and a buffet being carefully set up on the other. Dozens of small round tables with white table cloths littered the room, above them hanging a giant chandelier. Several grand windows opened the space out into the mountainous setting. Detective Investigator Mac Taylor wrapped his coat around him a little tighter; the fireplace creates an impressive draft. His eyes finally rested on the figure of a man with stunning red hair in a long black coat. Mac smiled to himself, he slowly and quietly approached the man.

Horatio sat slumped over in his chair, half draped across the table. Breakfast was going to be fifteen minutes late, according to the chef who reported to him. He was tired; the coffee wasn't even made up yet. To occupy the time Horatio had dug a quarter out of his pocket and began spinning it across the table over and over and over again. Each spin lulled him into what he called his "early morning stares"; which cleared his mind and kept him from yelling at the chef, demanding breakfast.

The quarter twirled slower and slower across the tablecloth, but it was caught before it could finally collapse. Mac turned the quarter over in his fingers, playing with it and teasing Horatio. Horatio let out a sad and slightly pitiful moan before he let his forehead drop onto the table. Mac chuckled and patted Horatio on the head lightly. He handed Horatio his quarter back and sat down next to him. The redhead sat up and tried to shake off his sleepiness, he give Mac a little smile before he spoke.

"I didn't know you were here too, what are the odds?"

"Slim but increasing with turn," Mac noted. Horatio nodded in agreement, too tired and hungry to reply. "You aren't much of a morning person, are you, H?" Mac asked. Horatio arched his back, letting go a few pops before settling back into his chair.

"I am after breakfast," Horatio mumbled before slumping back onto the table.

"You know, Horatio, I'm a little concerned about you", Mac said calmly. Horatio looked up inquisitively. "You always seem to be in some sort of depressed mood whenever I have seen you lately".

"I see a dead body every day", Horatio said softly as he crossed his arms on the table and buried his face into them.

"That's not it and you know it", Mac said matter-of-factly. "We all get a fair share of trauma every day but it doesn't eat into us, not after all these years. If it did none of us would be able to get any work done and every case would be an unsolved. So I ask not only as a friend, but as a fellow CSI. Now are you going to tell me what's wrong or aren't you?"

Horatio looked up into Mac's light brown eyes before laying his head back down on the table. "Get me waffles. Waffles and coffee", H grumbled. Mac cocked his eyebrow, confused, before he looked up and saw that the buffet was now open.

"If I bring you breakfast will you tell me what's wrong?" Mac asked. He looked down at Horatio, seeing his mass of red hair bob gently up and down in agreement. Mac heaved a sigh before making his way over to the buffet table.

***

"Now do you feel like telling me?" Mac sighed, slightly aggravated as he watched Horatio happily sip away at his coffee and poke at his waffles. Horatio hummed contentedly to himself before turning his eyes to Mac.

"This morning as you could see, I was tired. I am unsure as to what other occasion you refer to", Horatio stated before he took a bite of the waffle.

"Ahh, so you have been down lately. Well you may not have noticed, but we were in the lobby at the same time yesterday, although I believe you went right to your room" Mac said as he poured some cream into his coffee.

"We were?" Horatio said between bites. "I'm sorry; I mustn't have seen you then. As you could tell, my mind was distracted". Horatio dipped a forkful of waffle into a small pool of syrup on his plate before devouring it and taking another sip of coffee.

Mac watched impatiently as Horatio took his time with his food. He quickly eyed the room over before leaning in to Horatio and saying quietly, "you can tell me, H. No one else will even hear you". Horatio put down his fork, dropped his head and sighed.

"I think," Horatio whispered as he leaned in towards Mac, "that I am under investigation. And I can't figure out why, unless one of my old cases has been opened up". Horatio gently rubbed his brow in thought. "I just don't understand it".

"We all have gone above the law at one point or another," Mac started, "You can't let IAB get to you. Why did you even come to that conclusion?"

"You see, there's this one," Horatio began, but his voice trailed off for a second as he wondered where he was going to go with this. "Stetler …erm, what the hell is his first name again? Pisses me off so much I forge- Oh yeah, Rick. Rick Stetler. He's been harassing my lab for a long time, and I've been seeing him everywhere. He followed me here".

Mac sat back for a few seconds before he was able to find an explanation. "That's probably just protocol. I'm sure my IAB agent is here too".

"It's like he lives in my shadow, I can't get rid of him," Horatio hissed, anger and frustration audible in his voice. "You know, I-" Mac cut his friend off. Horatio looked around; he didn't realize that his voice was beginning to build. He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily.

"It's okay," Mac said soothingly.

He looked up, the other CSIs had begun filing into the room and swarming the buffet. "We can talk more about it later if you would like that. In my room where we can have privacy and you won't have to worry about Stetler".

Horatio nodded in agreement as he sat back up, regaining his composure for the others.

"Now," Mac started up again lightly, "how about I go and grab a crossword and we both work at it?"

Horatio looked sadly down at his breakfast, eventually nodding again in agreement. Mac got up and patted him gently on the shoulder before seeking a newspaper kiosk in the lobby. Horatio poked apathetically at the remaining quarter of his waffle as he took another sip of coffee. The room was slowly filling up; the soft chatter was beginning to crescendo. Behind him he heard the sound of a plate crashing to the ground and shattering. Automatically he turned to observe the scene, only to once again meet his eyes with Stetler's.


	2. Into The Snow

*******

Thank you Jessi84 for your input. I cannot express how happy I was to receive such a notification.

Oh, and I'm thinking about changing my update schedule to every Wednesday and Saturday... but more on that later.

*******

**Chapter Two: Into the Snow.**

It was nearing nine in the morning, the ball room was filled with CSIs digesting breakfast and engaging in small talk. Horatio and Mac were racking their brains over several crossword hints while they worked on and off at the Sudoku. Horatio raised his pen to write 7 into one of the Sudoku boxes when suddenly the piercing sound of microphone feedback filled the room. Both men winced and turned back towards the buffet, where a small stage had been erected.

A young and petite woman with short black hair fumbled with the microphone and gestured at someone in black to turn the amplifiers a different direction. The feedback died down, the room was silent. She blushed and ducked slightly. "Sorry", she murmured into the microphone. Horatio and Mac exchanged glances before turning back to her.

"Quite sorry about that," she started again, "But thank you for all being here so early for the games. Now, as you all should know by now, all pairings and events are chosen for every one of you by random lottery. And, as some of you may notice, each of your jurisdiction's IAB agent is here too. This, let it be for the record, is to reduce tension. You will be able to see, if the lottery permits you to, the demands put on each other; perhaps managing to soften the growing hostility that has been observed by both of your superiors".

"Not bloody likely," Mac sighed. The day was beginning to look pretty grim already.

"Without further ado I shall announce the names of the CSIs and IAB agents who will be going out to our toughest course. Where they must find a marked cabin and spend the night there. Catching or hunting all of their food. The refrigerators have been stocked with water, milk, wine, lemon, some baking essentials and that's about it. They will be expected back here tomorrow at 5 pm. No cell phones, no internet, nothing. But your sacrifice will be rewarded, I assure you. Now, keep in mind that of course all of you can't be going, just 5 teams of two will be hiking up the mountain. Don't worry though; we had plans for the rest of you too."

"I wasn't worried," Horatio whispered.

"CSI Gary Rightson and CSI Maria Soto, you two shall be taking the red trail. IAB agent Kent Scully and CSI Yao Mu, you will be taking the blue trail. CSI Lennox Macdorren and CSI Antonio Schmaltz will be taking the green trail. IAB agent Terry Cohen and CSI Mark Westheimer will be taking the black trail. And CSI Horatio Caine-"

Horatio perked up and looked hopefully at Mac.

"-and IAB agent Rick Stetler will be taking the orange trail."

Horatio and Mac's jaws dropped at the name. They sat there for a few seconds, stunned.

"What are the odds?" Mac stammered.

"Slim," came a voice from behind them, "but increasing with every turn".

They turned and saw Rick Stetler standing behind them, the burning light reflected off of the snow outside played elegantly on his deep brown hair. His soft brown eyes flashed at Horatio before he spoke again "Join us at the stage, Caine".

Horatio slowly stood and began to make his way to the stage, but not before shooting back over his shoulder, "_Lieutenant _Caine". Rick scoffed and lightly chuckled to himself.

"Show some respect," Mac hissed at Stetler. Rick smirked and followed Horatio to the stage.

A little man with wavy grey hair approached the two. "I hope you two are able to appreciate this as much as I did," he said with a chuckle.

He handed Stetler a map of their course, written on it was a copy of the instructions for the night. Rick eyed it over before stuffing it in his coat pocket.

The man pointed towards the lobby, "You best get a move on, a timer has been installed in the cabins to record how long you two have been there".

Horatio stared blankly at the man, wondering if it was possible to hack into the system and ditch the whole thing.

"The ones who get there first and are most prosperous in their search for food and warmth will get a hefty raise" the man said with a smile.

Without further cynicism or questioning the two of them made their way into the lobby and looked out upon the ocean of snow set before them.

***

The two men stood in the lobby with the other eight people who were put on the same mission. Some were making small talk amongst each other, but most stood in stony silence. They had to wait for everyone else to leave before they could start. Stetler had buried himself in a newspaper he plucked off the front desk. Horatio stood across the room, leaning against a column and mumbling to himself. He swore under his breath as he realized that he had forgotten something.

Everyone in the ball room began to file out in groups of about forty. Horatio stood alert, scanning over the crowd. After a minute or so Horatio saw the familiar figure of Mac, he grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the steady stream of people.

"I'm so sorry about this H," Mac sighed, a concerned look across his face, "what a horrible stroke of luck".

"It won't be easy, but I should be fine," Horatio turned away, trying to hide his anger and frustration, "that fucking Stetler".

Horatio slammed his fist against the column to vent a bit of rage that was beginning to boil in him. He breathed heavily before turning back to Mac.

"But I digress," he continued, calming himself down, "I'm expecting a very important call from Yelina late this afternoon, it's about Ray Jr."

"Is he alright?"

"He crashed the car and hasn't shown up since last night".

"Oh God," Mac whispered his eyes widening, "no wonder you're so on edge today".

"I'm sure he is at a friend's and is too shy to call home. I am positive he's fine, just a little scared. He just doesn't realize how much people care about him. He's like his father in that respect…" Horatio's voice trailed off. Mac watched in silence as Horatio remembered his late brother, not quite sure what to say.

"Anyways," Horatio said breaking the tension, "I need _someone_ to answer the phone, I don't want Yelina to believe that I don't care".

"I don't think she would feel that way," Mac said soothingly.

"Well thank you," Horatio smiled, "But just to be polite I think it best if you could answer it for me, tell her I'm okay. She worries too much".

"Where's your phone?" Mac asked.

"That's the problem, it's in my room," Horatio dug into his pocket and pulled out his room key, "I'm in 943, the phone is on the nightstand, she should call around three".

"How do you know that?"

"Because I thought this damn bonding day would be over by then, so that's when I told her to call me. Please Mac; I need you to do this for me".

"Of course, H. No problem. I'll run up and grab your phone at lunch".

"Thank you," Horatio murmured.

Mac nodded politely as he slipped back into the river of people who swept him out of Horatio's sight.

***

After everyone had left, the ten were given the go-ahead to start their march up the mountain. Horatio and Rick obviously had the most tension between them, unlike the other pairs who began their introductions as they walked out the door into the snow-filled wilderness. The two from Miami were the last to move.

Rick Stetler and Horatio stood there silently for a few moments, not speaking or turning to each other. Horatio dug into his coat pocket and fished out a pair of white wool gloves and earmuffs. Rick wrapped his deep red scarf around his head a second time and slipped on his black leather gloves.

"Let's go 'lieutenant'," Stetler said coolly, "get this over with".

***

A light snowfall dusted the mountains and the hikers as they made their way to their respective cabins around noon. Horatio turned up the collar on his coat and buried as much of his head into it as he could. Rick shook some of the freshly fallen snow off of his hair and blinked some flakes off of his eyelashes.

"Hold on," Rick Stetler called to Horatio. Horatio spun around, gravely irritated.

"I need to triangulate our position," Stetler explained, "I think we might be lost".

If Rick's cheeks weren't already so red he would have been quite visibly been blushing. This was about the fifth time he did this in the past two hours. Impatiently Horatio watched Stetler once again look at the map, then look at a tree, then look at the map, then look at the river, then look at the map, then look at the mountain, then look at the map, then look at the sun, then look at the map, and then point in a direction perpendicular to the direction they were headed and say "that way".

"Let me see that map," Horatio said, trying his best, although not successfully, to remain calm.

"No need," Stetler assured him, "I'm positive that this is the right way".

"Just give me the map, Stetler," Horatio whispered as he began to hyperventilate.

"I'm sure this time, Caine. Now if you don't hurry we're going to lose that raise".

"Stetler".

"I can practically see it I'm so sure".

"Just let me see it".

"We can't be far now".

"Give me the fucking map!" Horatio shouted, unable to control his temper for a moment longer. Rick was taken by surprise; he had never heard Horatio swear before. In Rick's moment of shock Horatio snatched the map from him. He looked at the map, he looked around, and the pointed in the opposite direction of Stetler.

"It's this way you idiot" Horatio snapped. He then trudged his way into knee deep snow and off the beaten path. "And if we're not there in twenty minutes, we go your way. But _this_ is the right way". The redhead no longer cared if Stetler was following him or not, he just wanted to sit someplace out of the snow.

Stetler shook off his initial shock and quietly began to follow Horatio. And in his mind he began to fully examine the fine view he was now with. His heart began to pound as he watched Horatio's strong legs lift and then beat into the receiving earth; like a stallion, really. He looked up at the lieutenant's brilliant red hair, shining in the afternoon sun. A few wisps of snow fell from the trees on to Horatio's shoulders. Those strong firm freckled shoulders that Rick would love to hold on to as that gorgeous man mounts him and…no. He couldn't think of Lieutenant Caine that way. But he knew that he did, and that nothing anyone could do could possibly tear those thoughts from his mind.

Stetler tried to shake the thoughts away, afraid that he may lose control of his impulses. He was sure that what he felt for Horatio was nothing more than a physical attraction. He was sure that once they got to know each other that he would plainly see that he and Horatio have nothing in common. Or, at least he thought he was sure of that. He wasn't quite so sure of anything anymore. Lately he had been abusing his powers of IAB agent: following Horatio everywhere, delving deep into his past, making copies of file photos and hiding them in the drawer of his nightstand. He well knew that he could be fired for such behavior, and possibly arrested for harassment. But in all honestly, seeing Horatio was one of the joys he had found in life. Every night he dreamed about what it must be like to be in the lieutenant's arms, how strong and comforting they must be. He would wait for hours on end just to hear the sound of his love's voice. He sees that beautiful redhead every time he closes his eyes-

"-Just ahead there. Do you see it?" Horatio said pointing, interrupting Rick's fantasy.

A little log cabin, two rooms and a shower at most stood in a quaint manner a little ways ahead. Next to it was a pond where Rick assumed that the two of them will be catching dinner. _The two of us_, Rick thought; the images that those words brought for him were so perfect. And now for it to be so close to happening, it was almost too much for him. He wanted to just grab Horatio and throw him against one of the cabin walls with a hard passionate kiss.

Rick stepped lightly, trying to look as suave and presentable as possible considering how many times he just got them lost. He pulled at his crimson scarf, wanting to throw off all his snow-soaked and stuffy outer garments. His eyes lazily scanned the woods, absently wondering there a good place to trap dinner would be. He did this while trying to pull himself together and fall back into his role.

_Remember, you are IAB sergeant, you do not tolerate Horatio's questionable actions and you never will. You are upset that he has accelerated to the rank of Lieutenant, despite you being better at interrogations and investigating. Remember these points and he won't suspect a thing… but don't be too much of an ass because you want to get laid. …that won't happen, never mind; in fact, forget I said that. But you still don't want to be too much of a jerk. If anything, maybe he could end up being a bit more understanding of the positions he puts you in. …I really don't care if you take that as innuendo or not, just don't make a fool of yourself. You're hyperventilating now, stop that. Don't be afraid of him, for Christ's sake. This will be over before you know it._

Horatio half tore half stumbled his way through the snow to get to the cabin, anything to get out of his wet clothes. But what into? No matter, all he really needs is a shower, a nice warm shower. Finally he reached the door; hoping that the water was heated and that he could somehow, someway, spend as little time outside or with Stetler as possible.


	3. Stormy Weather

*******

A special thanks to Jessi84 and lovebug21 for their wonderful reviews. I write not for myself, but for readers like you. Yay! And let's not forget everyone who has added this to their favourites or watch list. Huzzahs all around!

I continue to pose the question if I should update once (as I do now on Saturdays) or twice (Wednesdays and Saturdays) a week.

Oh, I forgot to mention (foolish me) that I DO NOT OWN HORATIO CAINE OR RICK STETLER. I DID NOT OWN EITHER OF THEM OR MAC AT ANY POINT IN MY WRITING PROCESS. THEY ARE PROPERTY OF CBS. I'M JUST BORROWING THEM for FAN RELATED activities of which I MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO MONEY OFF OF.

*whew* now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the story…

***

**Chapter Three: Stormy Weather**

The cabin was small, but a logical size for two people. There was one large room that served as a kitchen, dining room, and living room. There was a bedroom with two double beds sharing a night stand. And there was a bathroom that could be accessed from either of the other two rooms.

Horatio stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash over him again. His clothes were drying over the radiator in the bedroom, which (thankfully) was stocked with a few robes. Rick was in the living room, tending to the fire. He too was in his robe and was letting his clothes dry by the fireplace. Standing up he decided to explore the place while Horatio was in the shower.

Rick ran his fingers along the brown leather of one of the three loveseats that surrounded the fire. The kitchen was just a stove, a refrigerator, a sink and some countertop. There was a half-wall that opened up the kitchen to the rest of the room, against it were two barstools. On the ledge of the half-wall were some plates and eating utensils. On the far wall was a large bookcase that carried a variety of books from American mountain myths and folklore to books on the preparation of game. There were two closets in the living room, one on either side of the fire place. One was where Rick and Horatio hung their jackets, the other was stocked with rifles, fishing poles, bait, ammunition, fishing wire, all the necessities for trapping, and some old fashioned cookware made to go over the fire.

The doorway that led into the bedroom was beautifully carved and polished to a gorgeous deep brown shine. The bed frames were worked with the same care. Over each bed were large quilts and several large comforters. There were four moderately sized windows in the room, two of them on the far wall over the headboards and one on each side wall. Rick looked down at the pair of white earmuffs Horatio threw onto the bed on the right hand side, marking it as his own. Stetler wandered over and stroked the fur on the outside of the earmuffs, it was soft, fluffy, and silky despite the harsh weather it had just been through. He turned and saw Horatio's clothes drying over the radiator.

He reached down and touched Horatio's undershirt, it was already dry, not to mention warm. So was his shirt, his sweater still had a long way to go, but that was pretty fast. Horatio's pants were folded under the radiator, they too were dry, Stetler picked them up only to see under them Horatio's boxers. They looked cotton, and were the softest powder blue he had ever laid eyes on. Rick sat perfectly still, listening for any movement in the bathroom, Horatio was still showering. Turning his attention again to the undergarment he debated in his mind if he should touch it. One part of him was against it because, for obvious reasons, it is a little creepy. Another part of him wanted to because it may be the closest he will ever get to living his dream of fulfilling his darkest desire. On the other hand, it would be disrespectful. However, this opportunity may never arise again. But yet-

The water had stopped running; Rick heard the sound of a shower curtain being pulled back. He quickly replaced Horatio's pants and swiftly made his way back next to the fire.

Horatio came out of the bathroom still a little damp, but feeling much better. He came out ready to recite the speech he had been quietly practicing to give Stetler. It consisted mainly of how tired he was and a series of lies stating that he really isn't much of a fisherman or hunter and usually brings bad luck; mostly just a ruse to get Stetler out of the cabin. But Rick never got to hear Horatio's fabulous and well rehearsed speech, because as soon as Horatio emerged from the bathroom Stetler muttered something about smelling like wilderness and fresh air as he rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Horatio stood silently as he heard the sound of de-robing and running water.

Horatio sighed a heavy sigh and decided that if he wanted to be away from Stetler that he needed to do the fishing. Horatio pulled his clothes back onto his person (except for his sweater), discovered the fishing closet, grabbed what he needed, and put on his coat.

Stetler was lathering up soap and washing his neck when he heard a little knock at the bathroom door. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly gave himself a look over, hoping for the best.

"I'm going to go fish now, I'll be just outside," Horatio called from the other side of the door, "when you're done go out and shoot a deer or prepare whatever you want to cook the fish in. It doesn't matter much to me, but I am getting hungry. You got that?"

Stetler had resumed his usual shower routine by the end of Horatio's first sentence, knowing that his little fantasy would probably never be lived. "Kay!" Rick shouted out in response, he sighed and shook his head as if to say _and Horatio will never know what he's missing_.

***

Horatio was a little startled to see how much the snowfall had picked up, but that didn't seem to bother him, at least he's getting a few hours away from Stetler. The lieutenant nervously stepped out onto the ice, not quite remembering how to tell if it is indeed safe. After a few steps he decided that if he walked slowly he would avoid any sudden disaster. He crept out a good distance into the lake before deciding to drill. What Horatio didn't know was exactly how many weak points there were in the ice because of all the ice fisherman that often use their cabin. He also couldn't see the storm beginning to roll in over the mountains.

***

Stetler climbed out of the shower and back into his robe. He wandered out into the living room and retrieved his clothes from their drying place near the fire. He threw his robe onto his bed and changed back into his clothes. He looked over to see Horatio's sweater still drying over the radiator. He walked over and played with the soft wool for a while before going back in the living room to figure out how to prepare fish.

He pulled down a brown book with a peeling spine from the bookshelf. He plopped down on one of the loveseats and began to read. He learned how clean fish, how to cook fish, how to store fish, what fish need the most attention, simple batter recipes; it was quite interesting.

About an hour later Horatio returned with three large fish in a bucket with quite a bit of snow. Horatio looked a strange mix of tired, cold, smug, and apathetic. It was a look he often found himself giving Stetler, although the 'cold' part was new.

Rick jumped up and examined the fish. "Very nice, Caine," he started (he still had to be formal with Horatio despite his feelings), "this shall feed us for a while". Horatio nodded quietly, turned, and went back to the door. "Where are you going?" Rick called to him.

"To get more fish," Horatio mumbled as he stepped outside. When he did an astonishingly large quantity of snow blew into the cabin. Rick took a peek out the window; he had been so lost in the book that he didn't even notice that the gentle snowfall had turned into a blizzard. He really began to worry for Horatio, who had made it back to his post. Stetler was definitely concerned, but he didn't want to seem smothering or at all demanding. Horatio's smart, he'll come in when it gets to be too much for him.

In the meantime Rick began cleaning the fish over the sink, looking out the window ever few minutes to see if Horatio was okay. All the fish were cleaned and stored; and Rick couldn't stand it anymore. The blizzard was now howling past the cabin, he couldn't begin to imagine what it was doing to Horatio out on the lake. He rushed to the door and called out for him.

***

Horatio was cold; he doesn't remember ever being quite so cold before. But he compared each moment with what it would be like to have Stetler breathing down his neck. When Stetler called out to him it was like his voice was a dagger blown in with the storm. Yet Horatio knew that he would be much safer inside. He picked up his fishing things and left the hopes of just one more fish behind him as he started walking back to the cabin.

It was at this time Horatio wished he wouldn't have gone so far out. It was at this time Horatio wished he would have bothered to be more observant. It was at this time Horatio wished he would have just accepted that the test was about survival against the elements. It was at this time Horatio wished that he would have gone hunting instead. It was at this time Horatio noticed just how much ice fishing was done from the cabin and how much it had weakened the ice; the ice that gave out from under him, pulling him deep down into the deadly waters.

It all happened in a second, but it felt so much longer to Horatio. First his right foot fell through the ice, throwing his already tired body off balance. He collapsed into the snow and through the ice, momentarily putting him into a paralyzing state of shock when he hit the freezing water. He swung his left foot, trying to find a solid path of ice, but the harder he searched the deeper the rest of his body began to sink. He pulled down his leg and reached up for a ledge, but his vision was blurred so much and his hands were so numb that he couldn't find anything. The one option he had left was to use himself as a battering ram and force his way through the ice and snow. By then Horatio's pants and coat began to grow heavy with the water, pulling him down deeper and deeper into the lake.

He looked up, the light was getting dimmer. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he was panicking and running out of breath fast. Every nerve in his body was ordering him to get to the surface, he tried to move his legs, but the cold water made them weak and in constant pain. Horatio then realized in horror that even if he did somehow manage the get to the surface that he probably wouldn't have enough strength to break through any ice, and he wasn't quite so sure if he went straight down or if he managed to get under solid ice.

His lungs couldn't stand it anymore, and without any thought he gasped for air. He choked as the water began to fill his lungs, only to take in more water. Petechiae began to form around his eyes, he blinked wildly and his arms started to convulse, his ears rang. The merciless water began to pull at his clothes, bringing him towards the bottom. Images of drowned victims flashed through his mind, he never knew that he would ever be one of them. His mind was going a mile a minute when he convulsed one last time before he blacked out.


	4. Nerves

*******

Bam! You asked for it, you got it. I will now be updating twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

A thanks to Jessi84 for yet another wonderful review, you're so awesome. Keep em' coming, I enjoy your feedback (that goes to everybody).

Oh, and I should tell those of you (as I assume you exist) who rush to their computers in the Saturday and now Wednesday morning hours: my internet connection can be at best unreliable. It can go out for a few minutes to a few hours at a time. I just thought I may one day owe you an explanation (if, of course, you exist).

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

Sorry for the interruption. Back to the show.

***

**Chapter Four: Nerves**

Rick watched in horror as the object of his desire fell through the ice. All the beautiful images of Horatio his mind could conjure up flashed before him. Before he knew it he had shed his coat and his feet were flying across the snow towards the thin ice. He looked into the hole and saw a faint image of a gorgeous figure struggling deep underwater. There wasn't any room to dive, so Rick had to jump in and hope that he would be able to turn around quickly. His body was acting faster than his mind was able to plot; before he knew what he was doing he had already plunged into the frozen lake.

He spun around just in time to see Horatio's body fall limp and begin to sink. Stetler's eyes widened in horror as he approached his lover's weakened body, the lieutenant had managed to black out with his eyes open. Rick reached out and brushed his hand over the other's face to shut them. Stetler wrapped his arms around Horatio, embracing him as he started to pull him towards to surface. There was too much drag; knowing that time was precious, Rick managed to get Horatio's coat off of his body, letting it sink to the bottom. He could feel his own breath begin to run out as he and his lover reached the surface. His legs gave out for a moment when they were just a few feet away. Having no time to rest, Stetler pushed himself and gave them a few more strong kicks. Their heads were now both out of the water. Rick gasped for air, but Horatio remained lifeless in his arms.

Rick clambered back onto the surface of the frozen lake, catching Horatio before he was able to sink out of arm's reach. He pulled the other to the surface again, his breath catching in his throat to see that Horatio was still lifeless. Rick dragged his lover out of the water and carried him to shore without incident. He lay Horatio down and put an ear to his chest. To Stetler's amazement, he was still alive.

But he had to start breathing, and soon; before the lack of oxygen caused too much damage. Rick knew what he had to do and that if Horatio wasn't given proper CPR right away he could die. His hands trembling, Stetler held Horatio's nose and braced himself against the ground. Feeling a little short of breath himself he leaned in, hoping for Horatio's sake that he wouldn't get too lost in the sensation. But it was no use, once Stetler felt how soft his lover's lips were; he never wanted to release himself. He closed his eyes as he exhaled gently into Horatio's mouth. He drew himself back and put a hand on the redhead's chest. Rick trembled again as he once more leaned in and pressed his mouth against Horatio's. He pulled back and listened for breath, nothing.

"Please, love," Stetler whispered against Horatio's lips before he went down a third time. He slowly exhaled, but this time his desires got the better of him and before he released, he slipped his tongue into Horatio. He explored his lover's mouth, massaging Horatio's tongue with his own. Rick moaned slightly before he broke his passionate kiss. He didn't give himself any time to savor the moment, his eyes widened in fright. "Oh God, what have I done?" Stetler gasped. Rick looked helplessly down at the redhead, suddenly (much to his shock), he saw Horatio wince.

Horatio laid freezing on his back in the snow, he wasn't sure how he got there; but that wasn't as pressing an issue to him as getting the water out of his lungs. He threw himself onto his side and began to choke and cough violently. He felt the icy water slide up his throat and spill out of his mouth. The feeling made him horribly nauseous and he began to feel bile against the back of his throat. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he choked harder, he was in terrible pain, but at least he was breathing. He felt a hand on his arm and a soft breath down the back of his neck. It was comforting, soothing in its own mysterious way. Soon the coughing stopped and all was still. Horatio lay there, not having the strength to breathe more than short and shallow breaths. The comforting hand pulled him onto his back again. Blinking a few times, Horatio was finally able to see Stetler looking down upon him, surrounded by snow from the violent storm was still upon them. They locked eyes; in that moment Horatio had the faint memory of a passionate kiss. Realizing he was looking at his rescuer Horatio tried to speak, but was getting quite dizzy from the hyperventilating.

"It's okay, Horatio," Stetler whispered, "I'm here".

Weakly the redhead managed to whisper Stetler's name before he blacked out again.

***

Rick Stetler looked down with a soft smile at Horatio's sweet figure. He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the other's body rise and fall gently with steady breaths. Rick leaned into Horatio's chest to listen for any wheezing in the lungs, there was none. Smiling again he began to stroke his lover, finally having the chance to run his fingers through Horatio's soft red hair.

There was a soft crunch as Stetler did this, that's when it hit him that patches of Horatio's hair had frozen. Looking him over Rick noticed that the lieutenant's clothes were starting to freeze. There were patches of already pale skin that had turned white with frostbite. Stetler ran his fingers through his own hair and realized that he was the same way. They needed to get inside before either of them began showing many more symptoms of hypothermia.

Once again Stetler picked up the redhead, this time carrying him into the cabin. He lay Horatio down on the floor next to the fireplace. He put another log on before he went to grab a towel and some blankets. When Rick returned he stood before Horatio in silence, he knew that nobody could warm up very quickly with frozen clothes. He knelt down, his hands trembling again as he unbuttoned Horatio's shirt, carefully removing it from his body. Before he could prevent himself from doing so, Rick pulled off the redhead's undershirt, throwing it in a heap next to the fire.

He had never seen Horatio wearing so little clothing before. Horatio tended to be a pretty private person, he didn't even use the lab showers, no matter how humid Miami got. But that wouldn't really be a problem because as long as Rick has known Horatio he has never seen him sweat. Stetler knelt there, looking over the lieutenant's pale skin that played so well with the freckles and red hair that covered his body. There were old and fresh scars across Horatio's chest and back, a few from bullets, most from knives. It was a shame that a body so perfect had to go though such a beating.

Stetler's eyes wandered down to Horatio's pants, moist and clinging to his legs. It would be a shame, Rick reasoned, if anything below his waist was rendered useless due to frostbite. _If anything, I'm doing him a favor_. He unbuttoned and unzipped the other man's trousers, pulling them down his legs and off of his body; they went onto the heap as well.

Rick surveyed the unconscious body before him, wearing nothing but a soft pair of powder blue boxers. According to the same logic, Stetler thought, removing these would be even more of a favor. Nervously he placed his hands on either side of Horatio's final article of clothing. He gently began to tug, working the boxers to the middle of the hips before turning away. Embarrassed, and just in case Horatio woke up, Rick covered the redhead's privates with the towel before removing the boxers completely.

Horatio lay on the floor, nude, only censored by a soft white towel. Rick looked down at him, smiling as various sensuous images flashed through his mind. Before his impulses could get the better of him he quickly threw the blankets on top of Horatio, stuffed a pillow under his head, and rushed into the bedroom.

Stetler leaned back against the door, letting his body slide to the floor. He couldn't shake the images of Horatio from his mind. He began to wonder how upset Horatio will be if he learns that he was undressed in his sleep. He began to wonder if Horatio felt the kiss that was slipped to him during CPR. His heart began to pound and his breath grew short with freight. His entire body began to tremble violently with intense fear and panic. He didn't care if the rest of the world knew he felt these things towards Horatio, he just didn't want Horatio to know. He was in terror just thinking about how the redhead would handle it. Tears of immense stress filled Stetler's eyes; he buried his face in his palms and breathed heavily until the panic attack passed over him.

After a few minutes Rick was able to stand, he silently walked over to his robe and slipped it on again. He laid his clothes over the radiator, picking up Horatio's sweater and laying it on the bed next to the earmuffs. The cabin was completely quiet except for the crackle of the fireplace and the howl of the wind. Stetler walked back over to Horatio and arranged the heap of clothes into an organized line next to the fireplace. Kneeling down he checked the lieutenant's vital signs and stroked his hair for possibly the last time.

"I'm going to make dinner now, okay?" Rick said quietly to Horatio's sleeping body. There was no response, none was expected. "Okay," Stetler whispered before standing up and making his way to the kitchen.

***

Horatio stirred quietly, digging his shoulder blades into the hard wooden floor beneath him. He could smell fish cooking and wood burning. He shifted around a little, sighing softly as he felt the blankets against his bare skin. He opened his eyes and looked around the softly lit cabin. He leaned into the pillow and asked why he was undressed, but only managed to emit a soft mumble.

"Ah, you're awake," called Stetler from the kitchen, "dinner is almost ready, I'll bring it to you".

Horatio opened his mouth to try to ask again why he was nude and lying on the floor, but decided to wait until he was able to get some more of his strength back. He closed his eyes, giving his body a mental once over. Nothing felt numb, he was able to move his toes, he was breathing easily, he was pretty sure he had been spared any permanent damage.

Then that memory of a kiss came back to him. What was it? A distant memory of a past lover? A gift from Marisol during his brush with death? He couldn't even place a face to it. He dismissed it as a mirage, his mind playing tricks with him during his fragile state. It was incredibly passionate, that was all he knew.

He felt his strength slowly begin to return; he arched his back and winced. It felt wonderful to be able to move again. He sighed again, loudly, just to see how much voice he had now. He smiled contentedly to himself. He then turned his head to see Stetler approaching with two full plates, a wine bucket, and two crystal glasses. He set them down carefully next to Horatio before sitting cross legged down on the other side of the food. Horatio turned onto his side, facing the food laid before him; he then adjusted his blankets before he sat up. He looked down at the food, then at Stetler to whom he gave a little half smile.

"Hey," he whispered to his rescuer.

"Hey there," Rick responded with a soft smile. Rick reached down with his fork and took a bit of fish off of his plate. He slipped the food into his mouth; he grinned at the taste before he looked back over at Horatio.

"How are you feeling? I mean, considering all you have gone through today?" Rick asked the redhead, who had begun eating.

Horatio waited a few seconds before responding. "Pretty good," he said with a satisfied nod. They were both quiet for a while; Horatio was the first to speak again.

"You saved my life, didn't you?"

Rick nodded in silent reply. An awkward silence fell over the room once more. Horatio bit his lower lip in thought before he spoke again.

"For what it's worth," he started, "I'm sorry for swearing at you earlier".

Rick looked up, his eyes meeting Horatio's. They stayed like that for a moment, Rick broke away as he felt his control begin to slip, for in that moment he wanted more than anything to lean in and kiss the other man.

"It's alright," Stetler finally said in response, "I should have just handed the map over to you to begin with". He smiled at Horatio lightheartedly.

The room fell silent once again, this time because both men were heavily engaged in devouring their fish. Horatio again broke the silence.

"Why am I naked?"

Rick began to choke on the wine he was so enjoying. He was defiantly caught off guard. Horatio chuckled.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Horatio quipped, smiling sweetly.

Rick knew that if he looked at Horatio that he would get lost in his eyes. He smiled, playing along, before he responded.

"Because your clothes were frozen," Stetler quietly explained.

"Well I'm sorry if that made things at all difficult for you," Horatio continued. He was on a bit of a roll, and his light humor seemed to make him feel better. Stetler shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"I couldn't let you get much colder than you already were"

Horatio looked down into his lap and smiled before he said "And I'm sorry if I disappointed you at all, but remember, I was quite cold".

"Jesus Christ! Will you let up on the gay jokes?!" Stetler exploded before he had time to catch himself. He stood up and began to walk away, "I mean I just fucking saved your life; don't you _think_ that you should be at least a little grateful?"

Horatio was shocked; he blinked for a few seconds in surprise, wondering why Stetler was taking this so personally.

"Stetler, I-"

"No! Fuck you, Caine! I don't need to take any more of your shit!" Stetler could hardly believe the words that were flying out of his mouth. He turned his back to the redhead who lay on the ground behind him. Struggling to regain his composure Rick managed to stammer out, "I'm just going to turn in for the night. I'll see you in the morning".

"So that's it then?!" Horatio shouted at Stetler as he stood up, wrapping the towel around his waist. "You know what, Stetler?" the redhead started as he slowly approached Rick, "I thought for a moment there you changed. I thought that we were going to start this whole relationship or whatever the hell you want to call it over again but on the right foot. But no, we aren't. You haven't changed a bit, have you? In fact, you probably just saved me because it would make you look good. Because you're a selfish bastard who never gave a damn about anyone else and never will!"

Rick spun around to find himself face to face with Horatio. In a rush of frustration, anger, and desire he did the only thing he found himself able to do at that moment. He grabbed Horatio, threw him against the wall and slipped his tongue into his mouth again. Horatio stood there, pinned, he struggled and his eyes widened in shock. Then it slowly dawned on him what had happened and he recognized the kiss from the faint memory that was bothering him earlier. Before he knew it he was overtaken by the pure passion; his eyes drifted shut and he unconsciously leaned in, deepening the kiss. Horatio grew weak at the knees and began to tremble under Rick's powerful grip. Finally, Stetler broke away.

The two men stood there, unsure as to what exactly happened. Rick, terrified, backed away, took several deep breaths, and disappeared into the bedroom. Horatio slid down the wall and onto the floor. He lifted his hand and curiously felt his lips, unsure of what else to do or say or think.


	5. Confessions

*******

Thanks to lovebug21 for the review. Thanks to vivalavidaa for the review. Thanks to Jessi84 for the review. And a happy belated birthday.

Over 100 views! Huzzzah!

I now have viewers from 16 countries. Yay! However, right now the only Chilean reading this is me! That's ridiculous! So go grab your token Chilean friends and spread the word!

By the way, I also update this story on a DeviantArt and a Blogspot. Check those out if you so wish.

deviant name: OccipitalLobe

Blogspot: SWASWT

Also: I will be posting little Horatio/Rick ficlets outside of SWASWT that go with the season/holiday/occasion. The one that I'm posting along with this is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Yay! Check it out.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

On with the show…

***

**Chapter Five: Confessions**

Rick lay on his stomach, looking occasionally at the door from his position on the bed, wondering what Horatio was doing on the other side. He sighed heavily before dropping his head into his arms. He didn't know if Horatio was going to report him or just pretend it didn't happen. He wasn't sure what was worse. He reached down towards his feet to grab a pillow from the headboard; he pulled it up towards him and hugged it, pulling the soft downy thing under his body. He pressed his face against it; it felt cool and had a beautiful calming effect on him. He sighed again and looked sadly at Horatio's bed. He sat up as he heard a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" Horatio's gentle voice wondered from the other side of the door. Rick didn't say a word, but did replace his pillow.

"Can I take your silence as a 'yes'?" Horatio continued. Stetler looked down into the bed, still feeling a little ashamed of what he did.

Slowly the door opened and the redhead stepped in. He looked at Rick sitting on the bed, not sure of what to really think or say; at this moment he was just happy to not have any eye contact. Slowly he wandered into the room, his undershirt was in a crumpled mass he carried in and threw on his bed. He sat down, a little nervous, truly attempting to not hurt Rick with the unavoidable conversation they must soon have.

Stetler looked over at the breathtaking redhead sitting on the other bed. His shirt was partially unbuttoned, showing off a bit of soft crimson chest hair. He was barefoot, trying very hard to appear relaxed for the talk. The more casual Horatio got the more he dressed down, this was so far from the Lieutenant Caine he saw at the lab. Rick's chocolate colored eyes began to scan over his lover's body, undressing him once again in his mind. Stetler turned away before his desires impulse him to do worse to Horatio.

"Rick," Horatio started. Stetler looked up, smiling to himself; Horatio rarely ever calls him by his first name, his heart always skips a beat whenever he does. "I take it that there is something you would like to discuss with me".

Hands trembling and with a shaking breath Rick tried to speak, but couldn't. It was too much; he shook his head before slumping his shoulders and falling into his hands.

"I know this can't be easy for you," Horatio continued, "But you need to get this off of your chest. Anyone can see that your thoughts are tormenting you". Horatio looked sadly over at his roommate, who still hadn't recovered. "Look, it's not easy for me either," the redhead said quietly, Stetler gave no response. "We have to spend the rest of the night and most of tomorrow together; do you want to spend it like this?"

Rick looked up at Horatio, quickly turning away before they locked their gaze for too long. He knew that his lover was right. "I…I meant you no disrespect," Rick finally stammered out after a long pause.

"And I meant you none," Horatio said, nodding as he began to wonder if much more of this talk would fall together that easily.

"Great," Stetler declared, standing up. "Now that that's over I say we both have a nice scotch, I was able to find some in the bottom shelf. You'd like it; it's a very good year. You do drink, right?" He started his way to the door, his voice quickening with each step, "If you don't I also happened to find a bunch of cigars. You smoke cigars right? Yeah, I've seen you smoke before. But if you don't do either anymore I could just bring you a nice cool glass of water. Or would you rather just have more fish?"

Rick reached for the doorknob, trying to make his escape. Horatio grabbed him by the wrist and wedged himself between Stetler and the door.

"You're only making this worse for yourself, Rick," Horatio said forcefully.

"I know," the defeated Stetler slumped over again and sighed almost pitifully.

Horatio, not quite sure what he was doing, wrapped his arms around Rick. "It's okay," the redhead whispered into his ear, "You know I didn't mean to insult you. I honestly didn't know that…well that you were…well _are_…erm… gay?" Horatio stood there, holding Rick and praying that he was right in this new assumption or else things could get really awkward.

Stetler rested in Horatio's arms, although he was still shaking a little. The redhead was right though, but he never felt this way towards many other men. He rested his chin against the side of Horatio's head and tried to relax. He smiled as he realized just how strong and comforting the lieutenant's embrace could be. How soothing Horatio's voice is.

"I…" Rick stammered, "I'm not…how can I phrase it? Erm…'actively' gay. I mean, I'm single but I'm not looking for anyone. I haven't been in a serious relationship since college".

"What about Yelina?" Horatio demanded, his temper still flared when the memories of them together came rushing back.

"I dated Yelina because," Rick stuttered, "because," he dropped his head onto Horatio's shoulder and breathed heavily, "because I thought that she could bring me closer to you". He stood there quietly as he felt Horatio's hand slide up his back and onto his neck. "I didn't know that you would see it as… I didn't expect you to… I just didn't know that you had feelings for her," Rick sighed as his voice began to shake. "And I never meant to hurt her. What happened was, well I thought I could come out to her. Not about you, not yet at least," Stetler began to feel his anger as he relived the memory, "She said that what I felt was sick. That it was unnatural. That a 'real' man like Ray or… or you would never feel that way towards another man. She called me a bad influence on her son. It was too much, I expected Yelina to be more sympathetic, but she was as bad as everyone else. Before I knew it she was one the ground with a blackened eye and I was ordering her to never breathe a word of what happened to anyone. I threatened to take her son away from her if she spoke about it. I didn't know what to do, so I quietly picked up my things and went home.

"We didn't see each other again until that night you came to break us up. We had the same argument, pretty much, but this time a little louder. Ray Jr. didn't hear what I am, just the empty threats I made to his mother; I completely understand why he called you. Before I knew what was happening I was on the floor with a black eye and she was threatening to take away my job. She declared the relationship over and sent me away. When I saw you my heart just broke. You looked at me like I got everything that I deserved and that you would kill me if I ever tried anything like that again. I just wanted to get close to you Horatio; I never meant to hurt anyone. And at the lab, I was just doing my job, a job I took so I would still be able to see you every now and then. You remember, like we were in New York".

Horatio held Rick's now heavily sobbing body next to him. He closed his eyes and remembered seeing the other man every now and again as he rushed from class to class, being driven by the potential of a career at the NYPD. They did talk, but conversations were few and far between; which made Horatio wonder how Rick attached to him. When the time had come that he needed to escape from bad memories, he went south to Miami. He never knew that Rick was following him. He never really thought about it before.

The redhead gently stood Stetler back up; he was still shaking and weeping. His light brown eyes were swollen part way shut. There were several eye-shaped tear stains on Horatio's shirt. Rick dropped his face into a hand and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Horatio".

"You're going to be okay," Horatio whispered gently. He wiped a tear from Rick's face and said quietly, "go into the bathroom and wash up. Don't worry; I'll be here when you're done".

Rick made a soft little noise and nodded in agreement, wiping away some more tears with his sleeve. Horatio sat down on his bed and listened as water began to rush out of the sink. Carefully, he sat perfectly still and heard Rick collapse and begin to sob harder. Horatio buried his face in his hands and sighed.

***

The redhead lay back onto his bed, arching his back and getting himself comfortable. He looked up at the ceiling mournfully. He only admitted it to a few people, most people close enough to him could figure it out anyways. However, given the circumstances, he believed he should tell Stetler.

Horatio laid on his bed, wondering how tonight will end and how tomorrow will begin. He wondered if, when they went back to the hotel, they could ever be the same. If anything should happen, would it be kept a secret? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He played several scenarios in his head, all lead to indecisive conclusions.

Rick stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes bloodshot, but his nerves under control. Horatio sat up and looked at the other man.

"Are you sure you don't want a drink or a cigar or anything?" Rick asked, his voice tired.

Horatio shook his head.

"Then I'll just grab enough for me," Stetler said timidly as he approached the door again.

"Rick, wait," Horatio called.

Rick stopped, but didn't turn around. He was afraid of what ridicule or questioning it was possible for him to endure at this time. He didn't want to talk to the lieutenant; he didn't even want to look at him anymore, convinced that he would just get hurt again.

"Sit down, I have something I need to tell you," Horatio whispered.

Rick didn't know what would happen next. He figured it would be really good news or really heartbreaking news. He sat down on his respective bed, fully expecting a '_I would love to make you feel better about this, but…_'. He heard it all before, he was just hoping Horatio was different.

"Rick," Horatio sighed heavily before continuing, "I have a confession".

This was unexpected.

"It's something," Horatio continued, "That I don't say often. That's because most people who know me well enough already know, and those who don't know me well enough don't need to know. You see, the truth is," Horatio sighed, "I'm bi".

Rick looked up at Horatio as if he never knew that that collection of words could be arranged in that order before. Thoroughly confused, Rick began to form the word "what?", but decided against it. He sat and looked at Horatio, just blinking. What could he say? Does this mean that he has a chance with this redhead? He wasn't sure.

Horatio bowed his head, smiling to himself as he rendered Rick speechless. "I've been bi ever since I was a teenager," Horatio began, "I've never gone out with a man in any serious sense; I've found myself attracted to some: celebrities, co-workers, and so on. Rather than hide from it like many people do, I accepted it. I never really found the need to tell anyone before".

Rick was nodding and gently rocking back and forth as he tried to process the information. Suddenly something Horatio said hit him.

"'co-workers'?" he asked.

"Yeah," Horatio said quietly. "The most obvious one I guess has been Mac Taylor. Some people back in New York…Daniel Backster, Matt Harrison, Bill Kent…you don't know them. Tim Speedle…"

Horatio's voice trailed off for a moment as his mind played back to him his friend's last moments. The redhead fell silent; he could still see the look of terror in Tim's eyes before he passed away. He could still feel Speedle's blood against his hands and face.

Horatio's silence always seemed to unnerve Rick. He watched as the lieutenant turned away and began to sink back into the secluded world of his own mind. Stetler could see the nightmare play itself once more before Horatio's eyes. The redhead's breath grew uneasy as he forced back the tears that had always needed to fall for Speedle.

"He died in your arms, didn't he?" Rick whispered to Horatio.

Horatio sat at the edge of his bed, trembling. The memory still played for him, the feeling of Speedle's final breath. To almost see the life slipping out of Tim's body and knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. He was helpless; he couldn't forgive himself for not being able to save his fellow CSI. He couldn't save Tim, just like he couldn't save his wife, Ray or his mother.

"I told him," Horatio gasped as he struggled not to cry, "that he would be alright". His breath grew shaky; he could feel himself being overcome by raw emotions. "I couldn't even tell him how much he meant to me," Horatio could no longer control his voice.

Finally, despite all the control that Horatio could give himself, a single tear pooled in his eye and slipped down his cheek into his lap. His hand flew up to his face; he touched the moist track his tear left on him. A second then fell, then a third. He turned his head away, he hadn't wept in front of anyone in years. Stetler reached out his hand, placing it gently on the redhead's shoulder.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Rick said gently.

Horatio doubled over and released a moan of incredible pain. He felt his heart begin to break again and the full weight that all his secrets put upon him. He sobbed and gasped, trying to regain control of himself.

"It's too fucking much," Horatio moaned softly, his face damp with tears.

Rick didn't know what else to do; all he could really offer his love now is comfort. He carefully brought Horatio to his feet, steadying him. Then he pulled down the comforter and quilts to the foot of the bed. He fluffed the pillows, backed away and indicated to Horatio to lie down. Unsure at first, but then obediently, he lay down. Stetler rolled the other man over onto his side so they could face each other.

"I'll be right back," Rick soothingly whispered to the redhead.

Horatio looked up and watched the other man disappear into the bathroom. He wasn't quite sure as to what will happen next, but he let his tears still fall; he felt like a load was being lifted from him with each drop. It was a beautiful release, it hurt terribly, but he knew that when it was over that he would feel much better.

Stetler came out of the bathroom with a box of tissues and a wastebasket. He pulled the covers up around Horatio and put the tissues on the nightstand. He looked down upon the sweet man lying on the bed. He ran his fingers through Horatio's soft red hair. Horatio reached up and grabbed a handful of tissues, drying his face.

"I'm going to let you alone now," Stetler said softly. "I'll be reading on the couch in case you need anything. Okay?"

Horatio nodded in agreement, blinking a few more tears out of his eyes. Rick smiled and turned to leave.

"Rick?" Horatio called out.

Stetler turned, looking down into his lover's eyes: still a beautiful shade of blue although now bloodshot and swollen.

"Come here," the redhead whispered.

Rick walked back across the room to Horatio's side. Before he could ask what was wrong, Horatio reached up his hand and onto the back of Stetler's neck. Smoothly, Horatio sat up, reaching with his other hand to Rick's cheek.

Horatio breathed nervously and he pulled the other man in towards him. He closed his eyes and gently brushed his lips over Stetler's. Rick moaned softly as he felt Horatio's soft lips against his once again. Stetler slipped one hand onto the small of Horatio's back and the other he tangled in the other man's silky hair.

Their lips remained locked until Horatio broke away, desperately in need of air. Rick pulled Horatio closer, pressing his lips into the redhead's neck.

"Rick," Horatio whispered calmly, gently pulling himself free.

Stetler turned away, embarrassed that he was beginning to push his luck.

"Thank you".

Stetler gazed one last time into Horatio's eyes before responding, "Anything you need". He stroked the redhead one last time before disappearing into the other room.


	6. Myths and Cigars

***

Aaaah! My inbox exploded with favorites and watches and reviews! You guys are so awesome!

Thank you Madysoncurrier, Vivalavidaa, Jessi84, Lovebug21, and wolfsong98

Thanks to Shining-Zephyr for the review (deviantart)

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

*******

**Chapter Six: Myths and Cigars**

About a half hour later Horatio felt comfortable enough to get up. He knew that the harsher lights of the living room will burn his eyes, even though they had for the most part stopped aching. He sat up, rubbing at his face. It felt a little older, but at least he felt a lot lighter. He looked at his watch; it was around eight at night.

The secluded mountain area had plunged into an intense darkness that Horatio had never really seen before. He spent his entire life in the city; he had almost forgotten how black the night could get. Horatio grumbled to himself as he squinted outside, cursing the blizzard. _If the snow would just stop falling then Rick and I could step outside and look at the stars_.

The thought caught him by surprise. He had always been somewhat attracted to Rick, but never thought that the two of them could find themselves in this position. Stetler's personality had never really been taken into consideration. In fact, with the mask of IAB and with what happened to Yelina, he never knew much about Rick. Horatio always assumed that based on those two things that Rick was a deceptive, crafty, selfish asshole who never cared for anyone but himself. He never realized how little information he used to form a bias against Stetler. That bias was really the only thing that kept them from getting into this relationship long ago. Horatio just never noticed it until now.

Horatio walked into the bathroom and immediately began washing his face and fixing his hair in the mirror. He hadn't done that for anyone in years. He had never done that for a man since college. Despite the slight puffiness and bag under his eyes, he felt years younger. Looking upon his face he noticed he was smiling, he tried to wipe the grin off his face, only to find that he couldn't. He laughed quietly to himself as he realized that he was smiling stupidly and thinking about Rick for the past several minutes. As he progressed in age the more he seemed to forget what it means to be so happy, he hadn't smiled this much in years. His face began to hurt with all the smiling he was doing, which only made him smile more.

Finally satisfied with his appearance, Horatio slipped out the bathroom door leading into the living room. A warm rush of air calmed him, wrapping itself tenderly over his body. When Horatio left to comfort Rick the fireplace was nothing but glowing embers, now it was a full and powerful blaze. All the other lights in the room were turned down low, making the once cramped space look luxurious and romantic. Sniffing at the air Horatio detected the sweet heavy scent of a cigar; he looked over and saw Rick taking another drag. The smoke softened Stetler's once hard image, the cigar seemed to suit him.

Rick didn't see Horatio come out of the bathroom. After he had resurrected the fire and dug up the cigars he got bored and decided to occupy his time with a book from the bookshelf. It was a newer book, something that was probably forgotten by the last group that stayed in the cabin. Stetler buried himself in it, amused by the various short stories. It wasn't the sort of thing he would expect to get lost in, but somehow he did.

The redhead quietly approached the loveseat where Rick was curled up, reading and smoking. Not quite sure what to say to his new lover Horatio stood tongue-tied directly behind the other man. He looked down at the cigar box and smiled to himself.

"_Romeo y Julieta Churchill_," he read aloud, causing Rick to jump slightly. Horatio couldn't restrain a slight chuckle as Stetler turned to meet his eyes with Horatio's, obviously a little startled. "Are they yours?"

"No, I found them in the closet," Rick said, happy that his heart was beating again. "But that doesn't mean that you get one. You sneaked up on me and you scared me on purpo- No! Don't give me that look, Horatio. I might give you one if you get over here and sit with me". Rick closed the box and placed it on his lap.

Horatio smiled playfully down at Rick, not quite so sure exactly what type of games he was going to get himself into. He leaped over the back of the loveseat and plopped down next to his lover. He placed an arm over Stetler's shoulders.

"Can I get one now?" He hissed seductively.

"No," Rick smiled as he placed the box back out of Horatio's reach, "but possibly later".

Stetler leaned into the lieutenant's embrace, digging his shoulder blades into the back of the loveseat until he was comfortable. Horatio rested his head against his lover's, looking romantically into the fire until curiosity overcame him and he started reading over Rick's shoulder. Horatio whimpered sadly as Stetler flipped the page before Horatio was done with the first sentence. Rick chuckled.

"It's a book of urban legends," he smiled.

"Is that what had you so worked up?" Horatio teased, "Are you afraid of bigfoot?"

"Now you're just making fun of me. Well, I'll have you know, lieutenant Caine that I am a very high-strung person. It doesn't take much to make me jump, so don't be too proud of yourself. That and I was reading about this thing:" Rick flipped back the page.

A sketch drawing of a wolf-like beast with deathly eyes glared back from the page. Its jaw was unhinged to an unnerving degree, showing its saliva-covered dagger-like teeth. The small page read:

_Crocotta: The Speaking Beast_

_The crocotta can be found in the forests of India, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the North Americas. It eats anything, but prefers domestic animals and man. _

_First the crocotta will follow the master (or, as the situation may dictate, the friends) of its prey. The beast can quickly learn to imitate any voice or sound, human or otherwise. It then waits, deep in the woods, for the target to come within ear-shot. The crocotta then calls out to it, leading its prey far from any path. The victim is soon tired, confused, and helpless will not be chased, but simply attacked and devoured. _

_There are several interesting physical characteristics the crocotta has. One is that it can open its jaws to a 140 degree angle. The backbone of the crocotta is so rigid that the creature cannot turn its head. When it wants to look in a certain direction the whole body has to be turned. The creature never closes its eyes and (in fact) has no eyelids. And finally, the eyes of the crocotta are rare crystals that (if rumors are true) are capable of telling the future._

Horatio stroked Rick's arm and nuzzled up against him.

"Is that what scared you?" the redhead cooed.

"Well, you weren't here to protect me when first I read it" Rick quipped. "Plus, there's more. There are stories about cannibals and madmen who roam the mountains. It's quite unnerving when you read it all by yourself".

As Stetler spoke, Horatio looked up and saw that the cabin door had been dead bolted. Rick wasn't kidding when he said he was high-strung.

Rick smiled at his lover before he returned to the pages of the little book. Horatio gently took the tome from him and threw it onto one of the other loveseats.

"By the end of that book," Horatio stated matter-of-factly, "you would be a nervous wreck. And I do not want to be taking care of a nervous wreck all night. And can I have my cigar now?"

A little half-smile crossed Stetler's lips. He knew Horatio was right about his nerves. Turning, Rick pulled out a cigar for Horatio and handed it to him.

Horatio leaned forward, on his way to the fireplace to light his cigar, but Rick stopped him. From his pocket he pulled out a little silver lighter, leaned over, and lit the cigar. Horatio took a long drag on it, before finally pulling it from his lips. Stetler had started smoking his again to hide the slightly aroused smile that came over him when he saw Horatio with a long fat cigar in his mouth. Rick accidently inhaled a bit of the smoke as he watched the redhead suck at the _Romeo y Julieta Churchill_. It was almost erotic to him.

Horatio looked up at Rick, their eyes met. Stetler was almost completely lost in the other man's brilliant sapphire blue eyes. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't. He was under the same spell that he saw take control of Yelina, Rebecca, and Marisol.

The redhead had removed the cigar from his mouth and placed it in the ashtray on the end table. He then lifted his hand and took the smoke from his lover's lips, placing it next to his own. Rick didn't react; he was spellbound, lost in Horatio's gaze.

"Rick," Horatio whispered gently.

"H," Stetler gasped, not realizing that his breath had been taken from him.

Like before, Rick's actions were going faster than his mind had time to process them. He hovered over Horatio on the couch, pulling his lover under him. Straddling the redhead's midsection, he leaned in and caught the other's mouth. Horatio moaned sweetly as Rick gently probed his mouth with his tongue, feeling every inch of the wet cavern. The redhead reached one hand up and groped the other's well-formed ass. Stetler smiled into the kiss as he felt Horatio lightly and playfully struggle. Rick's lungs begging for air, he broke the kiss, letting his head fall on his lover's shoulder. He looked down and noticed that in his rush of passion he had taken a firm grip on the front of Horatio's shirt, crumpling the fabric. His other hand had flown to Horatio's wrist, pinning it to the sofa's arm above them.

"Oh God," Horatio moaned, kissing Rick's neck. "Again," he ordered, there was no response. "Damnit Stetler, I-"

Horatio was silenced as Rick's mouth closed over his again. This time Horatio slipped his tongue into Rick, massaging him. Stetler moaned and whimpered softly throughout this kiss, making the redhead smile. The feeling of each other's bodies and the scent of the cigars that hung heavy in the air was nothing short of intoxicating. They could have remained in that position forever if it wasn't for the need to breathe.

Stetler rested on Horatio's shoulder again, this time feeling the man rise between his legs. Rick lifted his upper body, hovering over his lover once again. Horatio looked nervous, excited, and embarrassed all at the same time.

Without thinking, Rick began unbuttoning Horatio's shirt, slowly working his way down to the redhead's waist. He playfully nipped and kissed at each inch of newly exposed skin, all the while listen to Horatio moan softly. It wasn't until he touched the other's pants that reality hit him, literally throwing him off of Horatio. He stumbled back and collapsed onto the other sofa next to his book. Rick's mind was once again racing and wasn't able to stop. Breathing heavily, Rick looked up at his lover, who had sat up and was looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Too fast," were the only words that Rick could muster out.

"I'm sorry," Horatio timidly responded.

"No, no. It's my fault. I didn't mean to push you in any way".

"I wasn't being pushed"

"Wait. Stop. We need to talk this over".

"Talk what over?"

"This whole relationship," Stetler was a little unsure as to how much he could hear, but knew he needed to hear it. "I need to know what's going on. Before today you didn't talk to me, you could hardly stand to look at me. And now we're…You're not just doing this because I saved your life and you found out that I'm gay, are you?"

"What?"

"I need to know the truth, Horatio. You're hiding something from me, I can feel it," Rick was speaking slowly, but the questions he wanted to ask were swarming his mind. _What if this was an elaborate plan Horatio concocted on the way to the cabin to get me fired? What if he doesn't want to fire me, but just humiliate me once we get back to Miami? I've never seen him with any other man before, what if he's lying about the whole bi thing? What if he just wants to find a new way to hurt me?_

Horatio walked over and sat down next to Rick, putting the book on the end table with the cigars. He reached out his hand to Stetler's face, but the other turned away before Horatio could make contact. Quietly he grabbed Stetler's hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing lightly.

"I don't blame you for not trusting me," the redhead whispered. "I just haven't felt so open with anyone in the longest time. I don't know if that's based on you saving my life or you coming out to me or something … just something else. I know that I can be a little difficult at times, I can get quite moody. But I never mean to hurt anyone. And I…I know I've hurt you before. There were times when I wanted to really…just tear you to pieces for what I thought you were doing to Yelina…and my lab…and me".

Stetler winced slightly, knowing that his own intentions looked questionable at best.

"But that," Horatio continued, "that was all just a misunderstanding, I see that now. If I knew then what I knew now things would have been very different. If I could go back and change things so you wouldn't feel so afraid I would. I'm sorry it took me so long to get over the whole IAB thing, I know you're just doing your job, I know that both my lab and I could be a little sketchy. I'm sorry everyone gives you a hard time about that. I really am. And maybe if I wasn't so damn accusatory I would have been able to see things differently. I-"

"I love you, Horatio Caine".

Horatio stopped, for the first time looking up at Rick and seeing the tears on his face.

"But Christ," Rick said softly, his voice cracking, "I still don't know if you could ever love me back".

Horatio pulled a handkerchief out of his pants pocket and began gently wiping Rick's tears away. He pulled Stetler in closer, stroking his arms and back gently. Rick's breath started staggering again as he breathed softly into Horatio's neck,

"Oh God, Horatio. Don't give me any false hope".

The redhead breathed heavily, pressing himself up against Rick's body. He cradled the other man for a minute or so, not really being sure of how to respond. He thought back on everything that happened today. Yes, their actions were a little fast, but that didn't mean that they were without merit. After all, Rick did save Horatio's life. That and he knew that there was defiantly a mutual physical attraction. Finally he spoke.

"You know," Horatio breathed into Stetler's ear, "I could see myself loving you".


	7. Scotch on the Rocks

***

Thank you for the reviews Madysoncurrier, Vivalavidaa, Jessi84, tbsavafob, and Wolfsong 98!

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Seven: Scotch On The Rocks**

Rick remained silent, giving only a soft kiss to Horatio's neck in response. He was afraid to speak, afraid that this was all just a dream and that he would wake up in Miami. His heart skipped a beat and then began pounding as the other man gently began nuzzling up against him. Horatio caught Rick, holding his face tenderly in his hands. He then leaned in and kissed the man who he just hours before saw as his enemy. Stetler moaned softly into Horatio's kiss, his hand drifting up onto the redhead's leg and began stroking his thigh. Although he loved the feeling of his lover's hand traveling up his leg and towards his crotch, Horatio knew that he had to bring to light an issue that was pecking at his brain. He broke the kiss, turning away before Rick had the chance to catch him with a tongue-tangling kiss of his own.

"However," Horatio began, "I am not quite sure how to handle this. I mean… with you and I … there is bound to be some sort of investigation or something".

Rick nodded as he chuckled quietly to himself.

"Oh Horatio," Rick smiled, "It's usually me who is the most concerned with the integrity of our respective departments".

"I know," the redhead said gently in response, "But I think…I think that any relationship that we have together must be carried out in secret. If it's not it will look too much like you would be covering for mistakes my lab didn't make".

Stetler laughed, suddenly feeling quite playful, "Yes, you and I: how scandalous".

He smiled sweetly as he was greeted with Horatio's soft chuckle.

"You know, H," Rick said with a seductive leer, "I can keep a secret for as long as you can".

"Yes, but can it last? When would we even see each other? I know you stop by the lab every week; I don't think I can pretend to hate you for very long without on the side having a bit of …erm… 'enjoyment'".

"Can't I just saunter on into your office and have a 'private discussion' every now and again?"

"My office is made of glass, Rick".

"Oh yeah. Well, I guess we can meet at some club every few weekends".

"I don't know, Rick," Horatio sighed, "Considering my position, I don't think that it's very wise for me to go into any club were we can have that sort of privacy. You know how much publicity I seem to get, I'm afraid that someone would recognize me. And I would go to your place, but seeing the number of times that a perp has stalked me…"

Horatio trailed off, he was hesitant to ask if Rick would come visit him. He knew that an incident involving any perp would be unlikely, but he wasn't one to take many chances in that respect. He was willing to go far out of his jurisdiction to not be recognized. He knew that if they were exposed that his reputation would be at stake and that Rick's job would be on the line. Perhaps they could drive down to the Keys together, or take his boat and go out on the ocean. Nothing seemed to be too excessive to make the relationship work.

"I could go see you," Rick finally offered timidly.

Horatio smiled. The thought of the two of them standing on the bedroom balcony and looking out at the ocean was too perfect. Horatio always felt so alone when he came home from the lab and looking out into the vast ocean just made him feel smaller. It would be wonderful to have someone to come home to.

"I'd like that," Horatio finally responded sweetly.

Rick leaned in and gave his lover a soft, innocent kiss. They cuddled up next to each other for a short while, stroking each other's bodies and playing with each other's hair. Horatio's breath lightly shook as he felt Rick press his lips against his neck and stroke his chest. Stetler had pulled himself on top of Horatio again and began rubbing his package against the redhead's thigh, all the while kissing him over and over and over again.

"Rick," Horatio whispered, "I would like to take you up on that drink now".

Stetler pulled himself off of Horatio's lap, letting him stand. They kissed one more time before Rick directed Horatio over to the cupboard where he found the scotch. He preached himself on one of the bar stools as the redhead wandered into the kitchen.

Horatio stepped off of the wooden floor of the living room and onto the cold tile of the kitchen. He pulled open the wooden cabinets, looking for glasses. He placed two tumblers on the counter in front of Rick before turning to the bottom cabinet.

As the redhead bent over Rick shifted uncomfortably as he felt his body react. Horatio's firm and gorgeous backside was wrapped so tightly in his fine black slacks. Rick blushed slightly as his lover stood and he saw how perfectly the redhead's bulge was displayed. His own pants began to feel too tight.

Horatio, unaware of exactly how much attention he was getting, placed the bottle of scotch on the counter next to the glasses. He lifted the bottle, ready to pour the drinks.

"Wait," Rick said stopping him, "I would like some ice".

"On the rocks it is," Horatio said with a smile.

Horatio turned around and faced the refrigerator, bending down to grab some ice cubes out of the freezer drawer.

_I'll never get used to seeing freezers down here. I wonder exactly how much more efficient it really is. Oh crap. Do we have an ice pick? Oh never mind, here's a tray. I wonder what Rick's getting up for. He's probably grabbing the cigars. You know, you'd think that they would find a more efficient way to do this. I wish this was one of those refrigerator/ice machine things. There we go, I'll just refill the rest of the tray later. Ow, I don't think ice is supposed to be this col- Oh God._

Horatio's thoughts were interrupted as he felt Rick's aroused body up against his backside. Stetler placed his hands on the redhead's hips, holding him in a way to make sure he couldn't escape. Horatio dropped the ice straight onto the counter, allowing himself to fully enjoy Rick's hold. He stood up, his body flush up against his lover. He sighed softly as Rick laid multitudinous soft kisses against his neck and across his shoulders.

Rick spun Horatio around, catching his mouth for a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around the redhead, reaching up and playing with his soft hair. Horatio ran his hands down Rick's back, finally placing them into the other man's back pockets. Stetler backed the redhead into the counter as their tongues dueled.

"I want you," Rick whispered into Horatio's neck.

Horatio couldn't speak, he could barely breathe. He hadn't felt such sensations in the longest time. They felt so beautiful and secretive and passionate that he was at a loss for words. He just nodded and closed his eyes.

Rick pushed Horatio's still unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders, making it fall to their feet. He then began laying kisses all the way down the redhead's chest. Stetler fell to knees, unbuttoning and unzipping the other man's pants.

Horatio braced himself against the counter for the inevitable. His heart was pounding and his breath grew shallow. He almost collapsed when he felt his trousers fall from his hips to his ankles.

Rick slowly pulled off Horatio's boxers, revealing his stiff phallus. He caught Horatio before he collapsed again. He looked up and saw the other man's unsteady breaths and the tight grip he had on the countertop. Horatio was a little weak at the knees and was shaking terribly.

Rick began to stand up, only to feel Horatio's hand catch his shoulder and lightly push back down.

"I feel uncomfortable, I don't think you're ready for this," Stetler said calmly to Horatio

"You don't think I've done this before?" Horatio asked; a little shocked at how much his voice was shaking.

Rick smiled sweetly at Horatio before turning back to the counter. He threw the ice cubes into their tumblers and poured the scotch. When he turned back Horatio was still leaning against the counter, shaking and finding his breath.

"It's okay," Rick whispered, handing Horatio his drink. "Today has been quite…eventful".

His hand still shaking, Horatio took the glass from Stetler. He sipped at the drink; all the while Rick stroked his arms and chest. Stetler began laying kisses on Horatio's body again, this time slowly and carefully. Horatio steadied his breathing and sipped at the drink as Rick kissed his shoulders and reached down to stroke Horatio's hardened cock.

Rick stroked the redhead gently, almost teasingly. He sucked on Horatio's neck, listening to the soft moans his lover made. Horatio tilted his head back, downed the last of the drink, and slammed the glass on the counter. He caught Rick's mouth and gave him a tongue-tangling kiss.

"Now, oh God, Rick. I need you now," Horatio gasped, thrusting up against Rick's hand.

Stetler flashed Horatio a sweet little smile before he sunk down onto his knees again. He ran his tongue along the length of Horatio's shaft, stroking his legs as he did so. The redhead moaned and whimpered, closing his eyes and trying to relax. Stetler stopped at the head of Horatio's throbbing cock and sucked gently. He let his lover thrust erratically into his mouth as he listened to his soft moans. He felt Horatio place a hand against the back of his head, cradling it against him. Rick relaxed his throat, letting his lover slip deep into him. Carefully he massaged the redhead's shaft with his tongue; he could tell that Horatio was on the verge.

Horatio bit his lip, trying to control himself for his new lover. He moaned as the full sensation of Rick's warm and wet mouth overcame him. He trembled, almost collapsing again. He felt his already heavy breathing grow louder as he began to lose control. He tightened the grip on the counter and pulled lightly on Rick's hair as he let himself go.

"Oh Rick," Horatio gasped as he came down his throat.

Stetler swallowed Horatio down until the other man was spent and weakened. He caught Horatio before he grew too weak in the knees to stand. He let his lover slip from his mouth; he kissed it one last time before he stood. Horatio caught Rick's mouth in a passionate kiss, tasting himself on his lover's lips.

"Rick," Horatio whispered. He couldn't speak; he was so breath-taken. He reached up and ran his fingers through Stetler's hair before pulling him into another kiss.

Rick smiled into the kiss, running his hands over Horatio's nude body. Horatio broke it, still breathing heavily.

"Anytime," Rick said simply, picking up Horatio's shirt for him.

Horatio shivered as he realized how much the fire had died down. The cabin was getting a little cold; he felt the cool mountain atmosphere against his exposed body. He slipped into his shirt and pulled his pants and boxers back on.

Rick pulled Horatio in for another embrace; he felt how close he was held and how tense his lover was.

"Are you cold?" Rick asked with a little smile.

"Can we move to the bedroom? I think it's warmer in there," Horatio asked with a slight shiver.

"And if not," Rick said with a smirk, "it will be".


	8. The Bow and the Badge

***

Thank you madysoncurrier, vivalavidaa, Jessi84, Wolfsong98, daxy and tbsavafob for the reviews.

Announcement: I am no longer posting SWASWT on . I just haven't been getting any views there. There is a link to my DeviantArt on my profile page. An announcement explaining the problem has been posted there, it was the last deviation I uploaded, so it should be easy to find.

Announcement: Go visit the SWASWT blogspot. It feels unloved.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Eight: The Bow And The Badge**

The cold mountain air howled past the cabin as the storm blew on. Horatio closed his eyes and listened to the tempest as he stepped into the bedroom. The only light came from the soft glow of a little lamp sitting on the nightstand. It was so peaceful and so innocent. Horatio smiled and blushed slightly, feeling a little dirty for what he knew he would be doing to and in the environment.

Stetler followed Horatio in, closing the door quietly behind him. He stood there in silence, his mind absorbing all that had just happened. He wanted desperately to experience sweet release with Horatio, but he knew that just to get this far this quickly was more than he could have possibly hoped for (although he did).

Horatio looked around the room, shyly, and with his back to Rick. It had been so many years since he was in a relationship with another man, and never has that man been anyone like Stetler. He felt such an attraction to him, it almost felt too strong.

Stetler walked up to Horatio, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing the back of his neck. Horatio moaned slightly at Rick's touch, he felt so secure.

"Rick," Horatio started gently, "This feels… I… I just don't know".

Rick pulled back from Horatio and stepped around until he was facing his new lover. He took one of the redhead's hands gently in his.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked.

"It feels strange to me, I mean, I barely know you," Horatio admitted shyly.

Stetler bit his lip in thought, he knew Horatio was right. He himself didn't feel that way because he has delved so much into Horatio's past during his off hours. Working for the IAB opened up a lot of doors for him regarding other people's secrets. He knew that Horatio had lost both his parents when he was just a young man; he also found reports of abuse against the redhead's father. Rick knew that whenever Horatio flies under the IAB's radar he comes back looking like the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders. At least that was how he was when he came back from Rio. _It is a shame_, Rick thought, _that such a noble man has to hide_. He blamed himself for part of Horatio's secrecy, up until now nobody expected him of turning a blind eye to the lieutenant's actions that took him above the law.

Horatio didn't know it, but Rick knew of every suspect he had been rough with. Stetler had watched him go out of his way to protect victims' families and witnesses. He had even seen him go far enough to make it look like he was involved in a romantic entanglement with several female suspects. But he did nothing more than log this information into the back of his mind and hope that nobody else knew what he did.

But he would still be lying if he said that he didn't feel anger and jealousy throughout all this. His position at IAB made him one of the least trusted people on the force. Stetler had watched as Horatio do nothing to stop the lab's turning against him. _If he only knew all the favors I do for him,_ Rick often found himself thinking,_ then he'll be sorry for what he's doing to me._ But by far, the worst thing he watched was Horatio taking various women from the lab and from the cases home with him. He cursed how easy these women were and wanted to expose the other man so many times for this action. Sometimes he was sure that he only didn't because his own investigations would be questioned. Horatio's marriage to Marisol broke Stetler's heart, although he knew that he probably would never have a chance with the man he loved. He cursed himself often for such selfishness and jealousy, but that didn't stop such emotions from consuming him whenever he got too close to Horatio.

Rick sat down on the bed, leading his lover down next to him and hoping that Horatio will never know what just flew though his mind. He swung his leg up onto the mattress to face the other.

"What do you need to know?" Rick whispered gently, turning the redhead's chin towards him.

"Well," he began, mimicking Stetler's position, "I know you work for IAB, I know you lived in New York, I know you love me, and I know you are an excellent chef". Rick blushed slightly and the mention of his cooking. "But…I know there is more to you. Nobody's all work and love with no play".

Stetler rolled his head back and looked up at the ceiling as he tried to think of what to say that would be worth mentioning.

"Let's see," He said finally after a long pause, "…I play the violin". Horatio cocked his head in interest, so Rick went on.

"In fact, when I was in high school I was torn between law enforcement and music. At the time all I wanted to do was get out of small-town Oklahoma and into the big city. I visited New York once when I was younger, my father had business out there and he invited my mother and I to tag along and see the sights. We couldn't really afford to see any performance at the Metropolitan Opera House, but we were able to see it in a tour. It was so breathtaking, with all the gold and crystal and velvet. Before I saw it I was convinced that the arts had been forgotten, lots of music classes in my school district were being cut. I just thought that nobody cared anymore".

Horatio smiled at Stetler, he had forgotten how immersed in culture he was in New York. He didn't often think of all the people who didn't grow up listening to the people in the apartment down the hall sing the great works of Puccini. He always seems to forget that not every city had a place like Greenwich Village or Times Square. When he was in college he visited his friend's home in northern Wisconsin, he lived in a small town. It was quaint, but Horatio could never see himself living there.

"When I came back from that trip I knew that I would do anything to go back there. I studied hard, but I practiced even harder. I was pushed by my family to be a cop, like my uncle and grandfather and his father before him …and so on. My father was the black sheep in the family, he went into teaching. He taught chemistry to the freshmen at the local university. He was the one who gave in and drove me to Huston so I could audition for Juilliard".

Rick looked up and watched Horatio's eyes widen at this. He smirked at the reaction, no matter how many times he told the story to no matter how many people; it never ceased to amuse him. He couldn't understand why, whenever he looked in the mirror he always saw an artist. The veil of IAB seemed to have taken a bit of that air away from him, at least to strangers.

"I didn't get in, you must understand, but I came close. Oh God, I could almost taste the sweet success as I walked out of that final audition. But I guess I wasn't enough, they must have already had plenty of violins in their symphonies. Nevertheless, I still was able to get back to NYC. And I thought that there would be nothing that could ever make me leave".

Rick stopped and looked into Horatio's eyes, that brilliant shade of blue that never fails to draw a pathetic sigh from him. Horatio blushed and turned away, realizing that if it wasn't for him Rick would still be back in New York, probably hanging around the Lincoln Centre. He looked apologetically into Rick's eyes, not quite sure of what to say.

"When we get back to Miami," Stetler said quietly, "I would love to play something for you".

Horatio smiled again and ducked his head; he was flattered and a little embarrassed. He used to sing tenor in various choirs, which was about it. But he was always complimented for his voice. Still, he always felt a little shy to admit that he never really familiarized himself with music.

Rick chuckled quietly to himself. He secretly loved to watch Horatio do that particular motion, it makes him look so fragile yet so protective at the same time. Stetler reached up and slowly ran his fingers through Horatio's gorgeous red hair. The other man looked up, his crystal blue eyes shining beautifully. Stetler sighed happily.

"Oh Horatio," Rick whispered gently, "You're so beautiful. You've never failed to take my breath away".

Although Rick was burning with desire and wished to just throw Horatio down onto the mattress and give him a soul-searing kiss, he knew he had to calm down. His lover was already a little uncomfortable, he could see that. So he simply took Horatio's hand and kissed it lightly.

The redhead, getting tired and sensing that the day would end rather anticlimactically, leaned in and kissed Rick, sweeping his tongue through the other man's mouth. His hands pulled at the hem of Rick's shirt before they slipped under it and ran over his chest. Rick laced his fingers in Horatio's hair and gently rested a hand on his lower back.

The two men tongue wrestled until they were both in desperate need for air. They rested their foreheads together as they both breathed heavily. Horatio was the first to recover.

"You know, Rick," he breathed, "I think you were correct in your earlier assumption… we are going too fast". He saw the mild look of frustration on his lover's face and realized how much of a tease he could be. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise".

"Why wait," Rick whispered against Horatio's lips and he moved in again.

Horatio propped himself up with one arm as the other held Stetler close to him. Stetler couldn't keep his hands off of the redhead, groping and caressing him until he needed to break the kiss and gasp in some much needed air.

He looked down into Horatio's eyes, they were half-lidded, but not with lust. It was obvious from the way Horatio moved little and dropped his head slightly. He was tired.

"You're sleepy, aren't you?" Rick asked with a soft smile.

Horatio nodded, blinking hard as he tried to force himself to stay awake. He made a soft moan, almost apologetic in nature.

"Then I shouldn't push you to do much more, it is getting quite late anyways". Rick looked at his watch; it was 10, which meant it was around midnight back in Miami. Considering that day shift has to report at 6 am and that most have to wake up before five, that meant that Horatio usually got to bed around 9. No wonder he was tired.

Horatio nodded again, a little upset that the feeling of fatigue caught up to him so quickly. Rick leaned in and kissed the redhead on the cheek.

"Go to sleep".

Horatio leaned in to return the favor. "Good Night," he breathed against his new lover's cheek before closing the distance with a sweet kiss.

Rick stood up, pulling Horatio with him. He led the other man to the opposite bed and watched as he stripped down to his boxers. The redhead looked up, smiling shyly at Stetler, before he lay down on the soft, warm bed. He pulled the covers around him and buried half his face into the cool pillow. He hadn't felt so safe and so happy in the longest time. He closed his eyes, wondering what will happen when they have to go back to the hotel; or Miami for that matter.

Stetler beamed down at Horatio before he turned off the light. He stood there in the darkness, listening as Horatio's breath grew slow and steady. Cautiously he turned and searched for his bed in the darkness.

He pulled off his clothes as he crawled onto the mattress and under the covers. He brought the pillow close to him again, wishing that he was holding Horatio instead. His body sank into the receiving bed and he sighed happily.

"Good night, Horatio," Rick whispered to his sleeping companion, "I'll see you in the morning, bright with the day".


	9. Under Cover of Darkness

***

CONTEST TIME!!!

At the end of Chapter 8 Rick has the line "I'll see you in the morning, bright with the day". I did not make that line up, it comes from somewhere. The first person who can tell me where it was from originally gets a brand new shiny ficlet in their honor.

But here's the rub: part of the line is muffled when it was originally spoken, so the phrase doesn't pop up on search engines. You have to have actually heard it to identify it. So I'll give you a hint: it's in a song.

Rules: post your stab at the answer in a review. Ficlets requested cannot be more than two chapters long and must include Rick and/or Horatio (duh) (but they don't _have_ to like each other). No crossovers, sorry. That and… erm… (this is so embarrassing)… I don't write heterosexual pairings… I don't know why, I just can't. Maybe someday I will be able to, but right now… no. But most of you are slash fans anyway, right? That is, of course, not to say that it HAS to be a romantic piece, humor is good too. :)

***

Thank you for the reviews vivalavidaa, tbsavafob, Jessi84, and Daxy

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Nine: Under Cover of Darkness**

The storm continued to relentlessly collide with the cabin. Horatio woke up about an hour after he had fallen asleep. He came to find himself to be wide awake, his mind unable to quiet itself. Tossing and turning on his mattress, he tried desperately to fall back asleep, he didn't want to end up sleeping though a day he could be spending with Rick.

Then it dawned on him, he sat up in his bed and looked over in the general direction of his sleeping lover. He smiled slyly to himself, hoping that Rick hadn't already taken care of what must have been a throbbing erection.

He pushed the comforters off of him as he got off of his bed. The wooden floor felt unnaturally hard and cold, but Horatio knew that that won't matter, not for long anyways. He stepped cautiously over to Rick's bed, careful not to run into anything or make too much noise. The steps he took became smaller and smaller as he approached. He was becoming more and more unsure of himself, but he knew that if he turned back that he would lie awake for hours kicking himself for not doing it. Slowly, carefully, he reached down and felt for Rick's body, hoping that there would be enough room for him to lie down without disturbing the other man too much. There was.

Horatio's heart began to pound as he stood there looking down through the darkness at Rick's faint image sleeping on his side. Then he stepped out of his boxers and crawled into the bed beside Rick. It was exhilarating; he hadn't felt anything like this in decades. He shivered as his nude backside brushed against the sheets of his lover's bed. Horatio moved in close to Rick. As he reached out and touched his lover's chest he was unable to control his desire to stroke him. He moved in a little closer, close enough to clearly see the contours of Rick's face despite the dark.

Horatio reached one arm up under the pillow and the other took Rick's hand. Quietly, without disturbing him too much, he draped the other man's arm over his body. Lying there, Horatio smiled contentedly as he attempted to fall asleep again.

Stetler's eyes fluttered open and his breath caught in his throat as he felt Horatio's nude body in his arms. The redhead stirred as he heard Rick's breathing grow erratic.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you," Horatio whispered, gently stroking Rick's side.

"It's okay," Rick said automatically as he tried to wrap his head around what exactly was happening, now that he was pretty sure he was no longer dreaming.

But Rick didn't have time to analyze as to why Horatio was now lying unclothed beside him. The redhead had already pulled himself on top of Stetler and had claimed his mouth with a passionate kiss. Stetler moaned as his and Horatio's arousals rubbed together.

Horatio kissed softly down Rick's jaw line and nibbled on his earlobe. He smiled to himself as he heard his partner mutter his name between gasps. Rick lay under him, unable to move he was so overcome with the sensations. The redhead dipped his tongue into Rick's ear before he whispered softly.

"What do you want, love?"

Rick shivered at Horatio's advances. He gasped and blinked for a few seconds before responding.

"Touch me," he was finally able to breathe.

Horatio smiled and lay himself on his side next to Stetler. He teasingly ran a finger down from his neck to his midsection. He listened as Rick's breathing grew heavier with each millimeter of movement. By the time Horatio reached the base of Rick's hard cock the other man was panting uncontrollably. Cautiously, Horatio ran his finger up the length of Rick's shaft. Stetler moaned and arched his hips up into Horatio's touch.

The redhead wrapped his fingers around Stetler's throbbing hardness, stroking slowly and gently. Horatio leaned in and slipped his tongue into Rick's mouth as Rick began to thrust roughly into Horatio's hand. Horatio lost himself in the sounds of the muffled moans and whimpers coming from Stetler.

"What do you really want from me?" Horatio breathed against Stetler's lips.

His hand had stopped moving, but Rick couldn't stop himself from thrusting. Rick closed the distance between their lips, catching Horatio a bit by surprise. Finally Rick pulled away and said in a voice barely audible,

"I want you in me".

Horatio smiled down at Rick after being given the answer he had sought in the first place. He climbed out of the bed and started his way to the bathroom.

"I'll be right back," Horatio hissed seductively over his shoulder to Rick.

Rick lay in the darkness with a raging hard on. He could hardly believe that this was happening, it felt all too perfect. He shivered as perverse images of what Horatio could do to him filled his mind. Rick was absently wondering if Horatio happened to have his handcuffs with him as the redhead slipped back out of the bathroom with some lotion.

A sliver of light poured forth from the slightly ajar bathroom door, it wasn't much, but it was enough for Rick to finally see his lover's face. Horatio smiled timidly down at the other as he sat between his legs. He leaned down and began suckling gently at the tip of Rick's leaking cock. Rick bit his lip and mildly suppressed a moan that came with the sensation and realization that Horatio will be taking his sweet time.

Horatio lubed up one finger and brushed it against Rick's opening as he continued to lick and kiss his member. Rick shivered with the coldness of the lotion; Horatio sensed this and made a quick mental note to warm it up first. Slowly Horatio pushed in and Rick clamped down on him.

"It's okay," Horatio whispered soothingly into Rick's skin.

Rick had recovered from his momentary loss of breath that came with the slight burn. He relaxed himself and Horatio was able to slip his finger deep into him. Stetler moaned and pushed against the other, who responded by slowly pumping him.

"How long has it been?" Horatio asked, noting how tight Rick was.

"Years," Rick admitted. He was in a bit of a fog, the sensations far outweighing whatever embarrassment that statement could bring.

Stetler arched his back as he felt a second finger join the first. Horatio gently pumped and scissored his fingers into Stetler, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his new lover. Rick threw back his head, not sure how long he was able to last. He didn't want to end the night before things had really begun, but he already felt pretty close. He smiled to himself as he felt a third finger; Horatio must be getting a little impatient too.

The redhead kissed the head of Rick's cock one final time before he sat back up. Rick whimpered as he felt Horatio slip out of him. Horatio warmed the lotion between his hands before he slicked up his cock and positioned himself.

"Are you sure you want this?" Horatio whispered.

Rick was at such a loss for breath that he was only able to nod in response. Horatio smiled down at him before slowly and carefully inserting himself into Rick Stetler.

Stetler arched his spine and threw his head back as his breath caught. All thought stopped for him as he felt Horatio gently thrust into him. Neither man could really believe what was happening. Horatio couldn't imagine what must have happened to turn Rick from an enemy into a lover in just a few short hours, but he was glad it did. He absently pondered this as he drove himself deep into Rick's tight core, pulling soft gasps from his lover.

Stetler moaned happily as Horatio leaned forward and captured his lips. The redhead propped himself up over Rick as he continued to thrust into his warm body. Rick reached up, playing with Horatio's hair for a few seconds before grasping onto his freckled shoulders as he pushed himself against Horatio's hardness. Understanding, Horatio began thrusting faster and a little rougher.

"Oh God, Horatio. Yes!" Rick gasped as the redhead began hitting his prostate with each stroke.

Horatio sat back up, not sure how much longer he had before he would cum. He watched Stetler writhe and growl under him; he never was able to make anyone desire him so badly. The redhead loved how he was able to make Rick feel such things, it felt so beautiful and intense.

"Touch me," Rick whimpered, interrupting Horatio's train of thought.

Horatio felt his thrusts grow erratic as his own desire played out. He wrapped his long, pale fingers around Rick's straining cock and began pumping him. It wasn't long before Stetler erupted in a flash of white hot ecstasy as he screamed Horatio's name. The contractions that Horatio then felt were enough to send him flying over the edge; he threw back his head and came hard into his lover.

"Rick… Rick…" Horatio gasped between pants as he hovered over the other.

Stetler wanted desperately to hold Horatio, but he was too weak to move. He sighed happily as the redhead leaned in to kiss him one last time. Horatio rested himself on top of Stetler until he had enough strength to sit back up.

"This may hurt," Horatio warned.

Rick nodded and bit his lip to stifle a groan as Horatio pulled himself from him. The redhead lay down beside Rick, gently stroking the other man's chest as he tried to find words. Stetler rolled back onto his side and rested his head on Horatio's shoulder. Their legs tangled beneath them as they relaxed into the bed. Exhaustion was quickly catching up with them as they lay there in silence feeling their racing hearts settle.

"Oh Horatio," Rick finally whispered against Horatio's neck.

Horatio smiled sweetly as he felt Rick gently nuzzle up against him. He cuddled back as he pulled Rick up in the bed so they could have eye contact. At the same time they leaned in and kissed each other, neither man taking a truly dominant position. Breaking the kiss and breathing heavily, they rested their foreheads together.

"I love you, Rick Stetler," Horatio whispered.

"And I love you, Horatio Caine".

The two men smiled contentedly as they closed their eyes and sank into the mattress. The constant howling outside the cabin had ceased and the pale moon was able to beam down upon the lovers.


	10. Freedom

**CONTEST CONTINUED…**

(First, see the prelude to _Chapter 9: Under Cover Of Darkness_. There the contest and rules are explained. I'm… just not posting them twice)

There were no winners… yet…

And considering I didn't really give you much of a hint before, I'll drop one now. And I'll keep dropping them until one of you wins. (grr)

HINT #1: The song was first released on an album that came out the same year as the artist's death.

Feel free to use search engines, you wouldn't be cheating.

Oh and another thing

Fanfiction request clarification: I do not count Mac as a crossover character. Even though he technically is.

***

Thank you Wolfsong98, vivalavidaa, Jessi84, tbsavafob, daxy and lovebug21 for the reviews.

Sorry this chapter's really short. :( I'll make it up to you on Saturday.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Ten: Freedom**

Rick's eyes drifted open as the soft morning sunlight drifted into the bedroom. Confusedly, he looked at the ceiling, realizing that it wasn't the one at home he was used to staring at. Then he remembered where he was and what happened the night before. But did it happen? Could anything so perfect ever happen outside of a dream?

His head lazily rolled to the side as he continued to find his bearings. That's when he saw Horatio. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked again. Horatio lay there next to him, asleep, the morning sun playing beautifully with his radiant hair.

Rick was caught in a strange place between laughter and tears. He still could hardly believe that this was truly happening to him. He beamed down at his new lover and felt a tear form in his eye and slide down onto the pillow, followed by a second and a third. He had never witnessed anything so perfect.

***

Horatio blinked himself into consciousness. He realized that his arm was being stroked and his hair was pretty mussed up from being played with.

"Hi," Horatio murmured as he tried to wake up a little faster.

"You are covered with freckles," Rick responded absentmindedly as he continued to stroke the redhead.

"Yes… Yes I am".

"You are what?"

"Covered with freckles".

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Good Morning, Rick".

"Hi".

Horatio chuckled to himself as he realized that Rick hadn't been awake for much longer than he had. He leaned in and brushed his lips over Stetler's. He pulled his lover in close to him as they cuddled their way through the morning mental haze.

"I didn't hurt you at all last night, did I?" Horatio finally said to break the silence.

"I'll tell you when I try to sit up," Rick quipped as he nuzzled up against Horatio.

"I'm serious, Rick".

"No. You didn't hurt me at all. In fact, nothing has ever felt so wonderful".

Horatio kissed Rick lightly as he wondered what it would be like to feel the other man make love to him. He would request it… but maybe later. He wasn't sure of really how to request such a thing; maybe later when they get back to Miami and have enough time to really discuss the relationship. He just needs a little time to sort out the relationship in his head before they rush into anything. He may have been a little too bold the night before. He knew how much sex can ruin a relationship, and he felt that he and Rick could really have something profound between them. He didn't want to ruin that in any way. Later definitely sounds better, then they can-

"-Do you want to take a shower with me?"

"Sure," Horatio blurted out, not really caring about how much he could contradict himself. After all, he just got up. Who thinks clearly in the morning anyways? Nobody, that's who.

Stetler smiled down at Horatio who seemed to still be a little lost in his own mind. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, only to wince in pain and collapse back down again.

"I did hurt you, didn't I?" Horatio sighed as he sat up, Rick's head resting on his lap.

"It's not that bad, I just forgot what it felt like"

"Poor thing," Horatio hummed as he played with Rick's dark brown hair.

Rick sighed as he relaxed and enjoyed the gentle massage Horatio was giving him. The redhead tangled his fingers in Rick's hair, admiring how sexy he looked with the slight stubble he was now sporting. Rick looked up and thought the exact same thing. He sighed happily as he once again found how easy it was to get lost in Horatio's soft blue eyes.

"What do you want to do today?" Horatio asked making light conversation.

"Well," Rick moaned, "breakfast, breakfast sounds nice. Some more reading, reading's good. Find more wood for the fireplace, we need fire. That and sex, sex sounds pretty nice right now too".

Horatio chuckled lightly in agreement.

"That it does," the redhead replied, "But I want pancakes for breakfast, so let's have sex first".

"We can have both at the same time," Rick suggested.

"That just sounds really really sticky".

"Well then we take a shower".

"With more sex?"

"Of course, I would have it no other way".

"What do we do after that?"

"We do each other in here again".

"I see".

Stetler and Horatio stared at each other for a few seconds. They were able to play the banter pretty deadpan, now they just wanted to see who would crack first. Rick indicated the kitchen with his eyes and then raised his eyebrows seductively a few times.

Horatio couldn't stand it anymore, a smile slowly spread across his lips and soon he lost it completely. Rick waited patiently on the lap of his partner who had fallen back onto the mattress in a fit of hysterics. He hadn't in a long time felt so lighthearted and free from his past and the cruel ways of reality he had to deal with every day. It had been a long time since Horatio really knew how wonderful it felt to just be alive and lie on his back laughing his ass off. Fully enjoying the moment of a sort of spiritual release, he decided to extend it for as long as he could. He lay there and began laughing at the way he was laughing. This, as many people know, can very easily snowball out of all control, logic, and reason.

Rick looked over at the redhead, who was rolling around slightly and laughing uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked, unable to suppress a chuckle himself.

"I'm fine," Horatio gasped between giggles as he fell once again into a full and hardy laugh.

Stetler rolled his eyes as he sat up to get a full view of Horatio. Horatio, lying nude in a double bed in a cabin in the snow in the middle of nowhere, laughing himself silly. He shook his head and smirked,

"You're insane".

"I'm sorry"

Horatio had not stopped laughing, he wished he could because his face was beginning to hurt from smiling so much and his sides hurt from laughing too hard.

"Horatio? Horatio, I don't think it's healthy to be laughing this hard".

Rick sighed heavily as he realized that this made Horatio laugh even harder. In desperation Rick started to try whatever came to mind to calm the redhead down.

"Shut the hell up, Horatio!"

It didn't work. He was still just a giggling mass of flesh and red hair that was writing on the bed next to Rick. Rolling his eyes again he pulled himself on top of Horatio and kissed his neck. He was able to tolerate the immense laugher for a few moments before it turned into a soft and contented hum. He stayed like this for a while until he felt Horatio settle.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked again, this time as a whisper into Horatio's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I was away," Horatio said softly and whimsically.

"But you're back now?"

Horatio nodded and Rick pulled himself off of the redhead. He got out of bed and pulled on a robe.

"Where are you going?" Horatio inquired as he sat up.

"Shower," Stetler smirked as he indicated the door, "feel free to join me".

Horatio didn't need to be told twice as he quickly rolled out of bed and pulled on his robe. He caught Stetler at the door where he was led inside.


	11. Shower

**CONTEST CONTINUED…**

(First, see the prelude to _Chapter 9: Under Cover Of Darkness_. There the contest and rules are explained. I'm… just not posting them twice)

There were no winners… yet…

And I'll keep dropping them until one of you wins. (grr)

HINT #1: The song was first released on an album that came out the same year as the artist's death.

HINT #2: The artist was born in the UK sometime during the general timeframe of The Blitz.

You are now at a point where you can go to Wikipedia for a few minutes and figure out who said artist is. Now go find the song.

Feel free to use search engines, you wouldn't be cheating.

Oh and another thing

Fanfiction request clarification: I do not count Mac as a crossover character. Even though he technically is.

***

Thank you Lovebug21, Jessi84, madysoncurrier, vivalavidaa, daxy, tbsavafob, and Wolfsong98 for the reviews.

Announcement: I have a poll up. Go vote.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Eleven: Shower**

Rick Stetler pulled Horatio into his arms, letting the door swing shut behind them. He breathed gently into the plush robe that enfolded his lover. Horatio leaned in and lay soft kisses up Rick's neck and along his jaw. Rick took the redhead's face in his hands and slipped his tongue into his mouth. Horatio hummed happily into the kiss as the other man backed him up into wall and rubbed his arousal against him.

"Impatient?" Horatio whispered against his lover's lips as he took control of the kiss, throwing Rick against the wall. Horatio reached down and moved their robes aside, allowing their erections to rub together. He smiled into the kiss as he heard Rick's muffled moan.

"Oh Horatio," Stetler gasped, breaking the kiss.

The fight for control continued as Rick maneuvered his way out of Horatio's grip and pulled off Horatio's robe all in one swift movement. Horatio smiled playfully and rushed at Stetler, only to be caught by the shoulders and be led down onto his knees.

Rick gently cradled Horatio's head against him as he rocked his hips. Horatio relaxed his throat and let Stetler fuck his mouth. The sweet and familiar taste of Rick's essence would be something that Horatio will not soon forget. He worked his lips against Rick, licking and raking his teeth down the other man's shaft. Losing his balance, Rick stumbled backwards against the wall, almost in ecstasy to feel Horatio keep the connection. After a few moments of thrusting, Rick let his eyes drift open to a beautiful sight. He caught the reflection of himself and Horatio in a full length mirror. No single image had ever brought him closer to the extreme verge. He came down Horatio's throat with a cry of his lover's name.

Horatio swallowed the last of Rick down and let him slip from his mouth. He watched as his lover slid down the wall, sitting down before him. Rick was still breathing heavily as he looked over into Horatio's bright blue eyes. The redhead chuckled as he realized how much he had worn out his partner. He leaned in and brushed his lips over Rick's.

"I love you," he breathed.

"Oh Horatio," Rick panted as he pulled the other man into his embrace, "I love you too".

Horatio kissed Rick's neck gently as he pushed the other man's robe off of him. He pulled Rick to his feet and looked him over for a few moments before turning to tend to the shower.

"Have you ever had it in a shower before, Caine?" Rick asked with a slight air of authority as he tried to compose himself.

"Slippery porcelain… wet tile… metal fixtures… It always struck me as a little dangerous," Horatio responded as he tested the water.

"And you live for danger?"

"…Yes Rick, I live for danger. That's why I spend a good portion of my life in a lab or sorting paperwork".

"So the answer is 'no'?"

"Correct".

"Yeah, me neither".

Horatio turned back towards Rick and beckoned him to come closer. Rick followed Horatio into the shower; their lips locked the entire way. Stetler sighed happily as the redhead lathered up his hands and began lightly rubbing them over his arms. For long moments they stood there under the warm running water, holding and lightly kissing each other.

"Shall we?" Rick hissed seductively into Horatio's ear between light nibbles.

Horatio nodded, and before Rick had time to react his lover had turned and braced himself against the back wall. Stetler's eyes widened at how direct the redhead could be. He stroked Horatio's back as he examined the sweet curves of his lover's body. Wrapping his arms around Horatio's waist he pulled the other man away from the wall and kissed across his shoulders and neck.

"I'm sorry," the redhead breathed, "am I going too fast?"

"You caught me by surprise is all. That and I didn't expect you to… well…"

"Make love to me, Rick".

"Whatever you want, Horatio," Rick hissed between kisses, "Whatever you want"

He ran his hands down Horatio's back and started stroking the other man's well-formed ass. He was a little surprised at how quickly he was aroused once again. He lightly rubbed his stiffening cock against the crevasses Horatio's sweet body. He watched the redhead shiver as he lathered up his hands once again.

Horatio widened his stance, trembling as he felt Rick's finger prod at his entrance. Stetler took his time stretching the redhead, knowing how careful they had to be in the environment and how long it had been since Horatio had been topped. Stetler listened to Horatio breathe heavily as he slipped out his fingers and replaced them with his member with one long thrust. The redhead gasped, his breath catching in his throat.

"Breathe, love," Rick whispered.

Horatio let out a ragged breath, his breathing unsteady. The brunette ran his hand down his lover's back, calming his nerves. After a few moments of minor adjusting Horatio gave Rick a little nod, moaning as he felt his lover respond by thrusting lightly.

Giving all control to Stetler, Horatio let himself be tenderly pinned against the tiled wall. He moaned and gasped as Rick continued to slowly work his cock inside of him.

Seeing the lieutenant look so helpless and aroused awakened in Rick an overwhelming sense of power. For so long he had been ordered around by his superiors, Horatio included; the feeling of dominance and control had almost been forgotten. He smiled with the added sensation and new vigor; and began to pound Horatio into the wall. Rick sucked on Horatio's neck as the redhead cried out in pleasure.

"You like that, Caine?" Rick hissed into Horatio's ear

"Oh God, yes," Horatio gasped.

Rick continued, working himself harder and faster. Neither of the men noticed when Rick had begun scratching at Horatio's skin and tugging at his hair. Soon Horatio reached down to touch himself, only to be stopped by Stetler.

"Please Rick, I have to cum," Horatio panted.

"You'll cum when I let you cum," Stetler snapped, roughly grabbing Horatio's wrists and pinning them to the wall above him. He drove himself harder into the redhead; Horatio struggled against Rick's hold.

"Rick?!"

"Quiet!"

Horatio's cry was muffled by Rick's hand, which had flown to the redhead's mouth, pinning him to his shoulder. He struggled to speak and move, but Rick was too strong for him. His muffled protests went unnoticed by Rick who continued to enjoy Horatio's body.

After a few long minutes of pounding sex Rick let go of Horatio's mouth, the redhead let out a soft whimper, turning his tear-streaked face away. With his now free hand, Stetler reached down and gave Horatio's aching cock a single rough stroke, making him cum hard. He released himself into Horatio's depths as he heard the other man's painful cry. Horatio went weak at the knees before his head rolled back and he blacked out.

After giving himself a short moment of recovery, Stetler finally let go of Horatio's wrists, lifting his hand to see the dark bruises he had made. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of them. Slowly he pulled himself out of the redhead, catching him as he began to fall.

"Horatio?" Rick whispered softly, his brow furrowed in concern.

He looked down at Horatio's face and saw the tracks his tears had made. Rick murmured Horatio's name again as he slowly turned him around. He blinked in an awakened shock as his eyes fell upon his lover's chest, bleeding slightly from the reddened scratch marks.

Holding Horatio, Rick slowly sat him down in the tub. He continued to whisper Horatio's name as he washed away the blood and stroked his chest.

"What have I done?"

***

Horatio wasn't quite sure how long he was out, but it must have been a while. His head was rested against the rim of the tub, cushioned by a rolled up towel. The tub had been filled with warm water and soap suds. He could feel Rick's hands gently washing and caressing his body. Horatio's eyes fluttered open to see Rick, he was dressed, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Rick bit his lip, frustrated with himself that he couldn't just wash the scratch marks away. He worked his way up Horatio's chest and onto his neck. When he noticed that the redhead had regained consciousness he lightly cupped Horatio's cheek in his hand.

"Horatio… I… I'm so sorry. I would never mean to hurt you; I could never mean to hurt you. Oh God, I wish I knew what came over me. I'll never forgive myself for this, you know that. I… I… I…" Rick trailed off, dropping his head and fighting back tears.

Horatio looked up at his lover, the man who a few minutes ago was overwhelmingly dominant and now looked so weakened. He smiled tiredly at him before gently whispering.

"No one's hurt".

Rick looked up; he wasn't sure how to react to this. He was positive that he had just lost everything that he had worked so hard for; Horatio, his job, everything.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Horatio nodded as he sat up, wincing as he put pressure on his bruised wrists. Rick's hands trembled and his palms began to sweat, still unsure of what will happen.

"I'm sorry," Rick started up again, his voice shaking, "You know how much you mean to me. You know I never meant to hurt you. I'm not usually like that, honest. I promise to you that I'll never do anything like that again-"

"-Now now," Horatio interrupted, "you shouldn't talk like that".

Much to Rick's surprise, Horatio reached up and wrapped his arms around the back of his neck. He pulled in Stetler and pressed his lips against him. Stetler's eyes widened as he felt Horatio's tongue brush against his lip, begging entrance. He opened his mouth and leaned into the redhead's assault, feeling the other man's tongue brush over his own. In his relief, Stetler couldn't help but to let escape a soft moan of pleasure into Horatio's mouth.

Horatio eventually broke the kiss. The men rested their heads together and sucked in some much needed air.

"Rick," Horatio whispered, "What you did to me was fucking amazing, don't you ever think of depriving me of that experience ever again. You know what? I want you to come over and do that to me as often as you want as many times as you want because nothing could ever stop me from enjoying that".

Rick looked over at Horatio in a quiet shock, heaving heavy breaths for long moments before he finally spoke.

"I don't want to make you cry, though, Horatio".

"What? Oh that. Well… in all honesty, there were some moments there when you truly terrified me. And yeah, you did hurt me a little, but nothing major. I was alright, Rick. I was okay".

Horatio reached up and gently stroked Rick's hair for a few moments before he pulled himself out of the tub. Stetler stepped back to admire Horatio's moist and glistening body for a few moments before he handed him a towel. He watched as Horatio dried off and then handed him his robe.

"Thank you," the redhead smiled, scratching at his chin, "Erm… would it be too much to ask you to make breakfast while I shave and whatnot, I feel really scruffy".

Rick smiled and pulled Horatio in for one last kiss before he left to fix them breakfast.


	12. Breakfast

**CONTEST CONTINUED…**

(First, see the prelude to _Chapter 9: Under Cover Of Darkness_. There the contest and rules are explained. I'm… just not posting them twice)

There were no winners… yet… But you're all really close so I'll just give you a few more days with these hints.

HINT #1: The song was first released on an album that came out the same year as the artist's death.

HINT #2: The artist was born in the UK sometime during the general timeframe of The Blitz.

You are now at a point where you can go to Wikipedia for a few minutes and figure out who said artist is. Now go find the song. Feel free to use search engines or any resource, you wouldn't be cheating.

Oh and another thing…

Fanfiction request clarification: I do not count Mac as a crossover character. Even though he technically is.

***

Thank you Lovebug21, tbsavafob, daxy, and Jessi84 for the reviews.

**Announcement: I have a poll up (still). It has to do with the Halloween ficlet coming out late next month. Go vote.**

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Twelve: Breakfast**

Horatio stepped out of the bathroom, clean shaven and still clad in his robe. The smell of coffee and pancakes filled the room, mixing with the scent of burning wood in the rekindled fireplace. Rick looked over at his lover from the kitchen, still a little shaken about what had transpired.

"You're just in time," Rick smiled as he placed a plate of pancakes on the counter.

Horatio walked over to Rick, pulled him in close and kissed him gently. Rick nuzzled Horatio's neck contentedly as the redhead took a quick glance around the kitchen.

"Rick!" Horatio groaned, indicating the counter, now covered with flour, egg shells and sugar. "You made a mess!"

"Yeah…well… you now have a limp," Rick stammered out after realizing that he really had no excuse for not cleaning up.

"You make a valid argument," Horatio chuckled.

"Now get out of my kitchen, sit down, and have some pancakes. I have to clear off the counter".

"Alright," Horatio said stepping out of the kitchen area, "but no promises on the 'sitting down' part".

Rick smirked at Horatio before turning to clean off the counter. As he dusted flour into the garbage bags he felt his hand tremble and his stomach churn. His breathing grew labored and his palms began to sweat again. He was overwhelmed with guilt. There was something he had been keeping from Horatio for too long, and something that would be a burden until he came to terms with it and talked to his new lover. He just wasn't quite sure when to tell Horatio, or how to tell him for that matter. He felt that if he kept this from Horatio that it would be the same thing as lying to him, something he knew he could never do. _If you truly love Horatio_, a voice inside him whispered, _then you will tell him the truth_.

Running a wet rag over the counter, Rick silently cursed that it was clean so quickly. He needed more time to think and to calm himself down. Slowly, he draped the rag over the faucet and turned to face Horatio.

The redhead stood there, nibbling happily at his breakfast and sipping at his coffee. He was at a state of peace that Stetler had never seen him in before. It was like all the weight that life had put on his shoulders had been lifted and he could be young again. Even when Horatio was with Marisol, Rick had never seen him so happy. He didn't want to risk taking such freedom away, but it would be wrong to keep Horatio in the dark for much longer. It just wouldn't be fai-

"-your cooking is absolutely delicious; you know that, right?" Horatio said to break the silence, interrupting Rick's thoughts.

"Thank you, Horatio," Rick said, his voice shaking slightly as he turned to face his lover.

Horatio took a few more bites before he looked up at Rick. His face was pale and his eyes looked slightly sunken. His body swayed and rocked, as if he was about to lose his balance if he hadn't braced himself to the counter.

"Are you alright?" Horatio asked, putting down his food.

"I'm fine, why?" Stetler responded, his voice still shaking.

"Because it looks like you're about to be sick," the redhead said, quickly stepping into the kitchen by Rick's side.

"I…I…" Rick stopped as he felt bile rise in the back of his throat. Never have his nerves acted out so violently against him. He shivered uncomfortably with the sensation.

Horatio placed his hands on Rick's shoulders, trying to calm him down, having no idea that he was making things worse. Pained, Rick looked down into Horatio's magnificently blue and trusting eyes. He winced in pain as he felt a sharp churn in his stomach.

"Come here," Horatio said, gently pulling him towards the sofa.

"No!" Rick was able to shout through the fog of his own confusion, only to be embarrassed at how loud his cry was, "I mean… I'm fine".

"No you aren't, now come here".

Rick was led towards the sofa and sat down. He closed his eyes, let his head roll back and groaned in discomfort. The next thing he felt was a damp washcloth being placed on his forehead and Horatio's hands rub his shoulders.

"You'll be okay, Rick," Horatio said gently, "now talk to me, what's happening? Do you feel at all numb?"

"I-I-I… I just need to lie down," Rick was finally able to muster out.

He slowly lowered himself into a horizontal position on the couch. Horatio rushed over to his side and held his hand, kissing it tenderly. Rick winced and turned away when he felt how sweet and gentle Horatio's love could be.

"Horatio," Rick gasped with what little breath he had, "I don't want you to see me like this". He drew a quick breath in through his teeth and winced and his stomach churned violently again. "It's… It's me. Go back to your breakfast. I should be back to normal soon enough".

Uneasy, but wanting to make Rick comfortable, Horatio stood up and went back to his plate. Rick winced as he tried to gather up his courage to speak to his lover; to tell him the truth.

***

His stomach regained constancy around the time Horatio finished with his breakfast and washed the plate. He sat up on the couch, looking over his shoulder at the gorgeous man he spent the night with. Horatio turned to see that the color had returned to Rick's face.

"You feeling much better?"

Lying, Rick nodded and smiled weakly at Horatio. The redhead took the damp washcloth from Rick's hand and kissed him gently.

"So… dizzy spells or what?" Horatio asked him lightly.

Rick looked up into his lover's beautifully blue eyes, filled with nothing but trust. His stomach churned again, but he pressed on.

"Horatio," he finally forced out, no going back now, "there's something… very important that you need to know. And I… I'm not too proud to admit it". He breathed heavily as his hands began to tremble again. "Horatio. I… I…" he hung his head, "This wasn't at all random, you know that".

The redhead cocked his head slightly, not quite sure if he wanted to hear what was coming.

"The woman who drew the names, she… she was a good friend of mine back in high school; her name's Victoria Scully. We kept in touch; she was one of the few close friends I had ever told about you. She had an idea of how important you are to me and she… well… after consulting me… well… after I told her to… she… she fixed the drawing".

Horatio sat there quietly, not facing or looking at Rick. Finally he turned his head and looked at Rick though tired eyes.

"You set me up?" Horatio whispered.

"Horatio, I didn't mean to cause you any harm-"

"-And how many more times are you planning on saying that before I start to believe you again?"

He spoke quietly as he turned his head away. Rick didn't know what to think, except that his heart would probably ached a lot less if Horatio just straight out yelled at him. This was torture, but yet he felt that he deserved it.

"H, I-"

"-Rick," Horatio broke in before he trailed off, losing himself in thought. After a few long moments he finally spoke again. "I… I need to be alone right now".

He stood up and walked back towards the bedroom, still limping slightly. He looked back, just for a moment, to see Rick shaking with his face buried in his hands. A soft sob broke the silence as Horatio left the room.

_Why do you do these things, Rick?_ Stetler heard his mind whisper to him, _How could you just stand there and let things happen? You say you love him, but look at yourself, why can't you be happy to just see him happy? _

"I could," Rick whispered, retorting his own thoughts.

_Bullshit. If that were true you would have let him just hang around the hotel with Mac, or better yet put them in this cabin together. But no, you had to take this situation and just make sure things went your way. Did you even once think about what Horatio might feel about this? He almost died, Rick. And it would have been your fault. And then what happened in the shower… seriously, what the fuck were you thinking?_

"Things never meant to get this far".

_Oh yeah, you "just wanted Horatio to see things from your perspective as an IAB agent". Don't lie to yourself, you just wanted to get in his pants. Well congratulations, mission accomplished. Why do you always have to force your goddamn opinions on everyone anyways? That's why nobody likes you. You're a pushy egomaniacal bastard, that's what you are. How could Horatio ever love somebody like you?_

"I could change for him".

_Nothing could ever change you, Rick. It doesn't matter if the world depended on it or just your precious little Horatio depended on it; you can't change. Accept it. You're going to die with no legacy and not a friend in the world. And no matter how much you wish to change that, you know you can't. Maybe you could have when you were younger, but not now. Now you're too old and bitter to really care about anything anymore, and you're only 52. God, you can be so fucking pathetic._

"I would give anything just to see him that happy again", Rick said absently, thinking back on this morning.

_Forget it, Rick. If you really loved him you wouldn't drag him down with you. In fact, he would most likely be a lot happier if you were just out of the picture. I suggest that you just make him a sandwich around noon, when it's time you go you hand over the map and your coat (because it's your fault that his is at the bottom of the lake) and just try to forget all this ever happened._

"Horatio's why I get up in the morning. It's been that way for years. If I can't be with him, I… I really just don't see the point".

_Then go ahead and do yourself in. But how about, when you do that, you for once in your life think of Horatio first, don't leave him scarred. Wait till he has forgotten you. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long._


	13. Thoughts

**The Contest…**

Has been won by lovebug21. Congratulations. The ficlet will be out… eventually. … don't worry, I'll tell you when it's ready.

***

Thank you Lovebug21, Jessi84, madysoncurrier, vivalavidaa, tbsavafob, and daxy for the reviews.

**Announcement: I have a poll up. It will be up for a while. It has to do with the Halloween ficlet coming out late next month. Go vote.**

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Thirteen: Thoughts**

Horatio closed the door to the bedroom behind him. The smell of sex still hung lightly in the poorly ventilated room. More than anything, he just needed to lie down and think this through. He crawled into bed with his robe and lay there for a few seconds.

"He trapped me," Horatio whispered, trying to sort things out.

_Maybe so, _Horatio thought at himself, _but I honestly doubt that he meant for things to get this far. The two of you wouldn't have been romantically involved if he didn't save your life, Horatio. Do you honestly think that he planned for you to fall thorough the ice?_

"Well… maybe not. But he still put me in a position where he could easily take advantage of me".

_He just wanted to spend some time with you, you obviously mean a lot to him. Think about it, whenever you two meet up in the lab you always get in a fight and it's always over something administrative and (in the whole scheme of things) trivial. Can you really build a relationship on that?_

"What am I basing a relationship on now?"

_I know you believe that you may be basing it all on sex, but here's what I think. Your entire life you had to be the guardian, everyone's protector. You looked after your mother, Ray, Yelina, Marisol, Ray Jr., not to mention everyone at work. And now, for the first time in your life, you have someone who just wants to look after you; someone who wants you to admit your fears so he can protect you from them. Why does this so disturbing? What's wrong with you?_

"It feels awkward is all".

_Everything feels awkward at first, from shoes to cities to people. Why don't you just give him a chance?_

"Because I don't love him back… I… I just thought I did".

_That's not true…_

Horatio drew himself deeper under the covers and pressed the side of his face into the cool pillow. He lay perfectly still and was able to hear the soft sobs from the other room. He closed his eyes, pained by Rick's tears, before he got back to sorting things out for himself.

"He doesn't have many friends, does he?" Horatio observed sadly.

_He always struck me as the sort who only needed a close few, which he probably has. But he never fails to always look pretty lonely, I bet his friends are all back in Oklahoma or NYC. Imagine it Horatio, nobody to go to the game with on the weekends, nobody to take on holiday, nobody to hold or go home to. He must feel pretty empty._

"As empty as I do?"

_Rick hasn't encountered as much trauma as you have, I know that. But when you have a bunch of little things in life that go wrong and you don't have anyone to really talk to, they build up. You can't argue with the little things, Horatio, it's the little things that make up life._

Horatio drifted off, remembering all the small gestures that victims' families and his lovers gave him; knowing that he would be a completely different person without them. He heard Rick choke and sob again and a tear slid down the side of the redhead's face.

_You can't say you don't care about him._

"Nobody should have to cry like that".

_Look at you, crying alone in this room while he's crying alone in that room. If you would just walk in there and tell him everything is alright then neither of you would be alone nor crying. You can't even see that you two complete each other. How arrogant is that? Have you ever laughed so hard with anyone else? Have you ever even seen him truly smile before? No. You two are happy together, why can't you see that?_

"But… he tricked me into a relationship".

_For Christ's sake, get over yourself! He wouldn't have been able to "trick" you into anything if you didn't already somewhat want it in the first place. You know that! And I know that you know that the longer you stay in here, the more that he will beat himself up out there. So get out of bed, put on some clothes, and just talk to him. If he means anything to you, you would at least give him that dignity. Whatever you do, Horatio, don't leave him like this._

Horatio lay there for a moment or so, not quite sure of what to say when he confronts Rick, but knowing that he had to. He couldn't just let Rick get even more depressed about himself; God knows what would happen then.

***

Horatio slowly stepped out of the bedroom, still buttoning up his shirt as he did so. His crystal blue eyes scanned over the room before finally resting upon Rick's body, hunched over a tumbler full of scotch at the bar. Slowly he approached.

Rick turned his face away, wishing he could just disappear. He has never been known to try to drink his problems away, but now he was afraid that his love might see him as such. His mind turned back to all the interrogations that he watched Horatio perform. He wondered how much information Horatio will force out of him before they had to leave the cabin. It wasn't fair; he just wanted Horatio to be happy.

As Horatio approached Rick couldn't hold back a slight wince as his imagination started bombarding him with all the horrible things Horatio might say. Gently, tenderly, Horatio placed his hands upon the other man's arms. Rick stopped shaking as the redhead leaned in to softly kiss him on the cheek. Horatio lingered there, tasting the salt from Rick's tears against his lips.

As he pulled away he stopped to look at Rick. Rick had barely reacted to the kiss; he just kept his eyes locked down on his drink. He watched quietly Rick's eyes began to water. Instinctively, Horatio brought his lips to Rick's cheek and kissed him again. And again.

Before either man knew what was happening, they were in each other's arms, Horatio showering Rick with light kisses. Stetler whimpered as his tears began to fall again, only to be kissed away by the redhead.

"I'm sorry," Horatio sighed between kisses, "I over-reacted".

"No you didn't," Rick stammered out, happy to feel Horatio's lips against him again, "I shouldn't have forced this upon you".

"Don't apologize for that," Horatio whispered as he finally captured Rick's mouth, "If you didn't then we would have never been like this".

"You…you want to be with me?"

"Of course I do, Rick," Horatio sighed.

The kisses stopped, the two men stood in the middle of the room holding each other. Horatio nuzzled against Rick's neck for a few moments as he led him down onto the couch. They cuddled and gazed into the fire, holding hands like an old couple.

"Horatio," Rick whispered into the silence, "I love you more than anything".

"Nobody has ever been so good to me," Horatio said, sweetly kissing Rick's hand, "And I love you too".

They turned and looked into each other's eyes, Horatio's like the clearest day and Rick's like the darkest night. Stetler brushed his hand over the pale, freckled cheek of the other man; taking in the contrast of their bodies. Horatio ran his fingers though the deep brown hair of Rick Stetler, pulling him in and kissing his lips tenderly.

***

The mid-afternoon sun danced across the snow, making it sparkle and glare at all who passed. Mac Taylor trudged into the mid-mountain ski lodge, his face stinging with the bitter winds. The lodge was of an impressive size, with a full bar and several fireplaces. The heads of game stared down at him from their positions high on the walls. The soft and constant hum of chatter was a welcome change from the sole sound of his own breathing on the slopes.

Mac parked his skis on the rack and made his way over to the bar.

_God I hate being in the middle of nowhere. Good thing I get to go back to New York tomorrow. Oh Christ, I still have to pack… go to that last spiel tomorrow morning… say goodbye to Horatio. Oh poor Horatio, trapped with his IAB. I hope he's been careful, I don't think I-_

"- Hot cocoa," Mac said, interrupting his own thoughts as the barkeep approached him.

_I don't think I would be able to trust Stetler. "Stetler"… that's an interesting last name. English? … meh, I'll look it up later. But I'm sure Horatio can take care of himself. I've seen him fight; it takes quite a bit to take him down. However, I can't say that I've ever seen him take on anyone who was sober. So what's really bothering me is-_

"-Thank you," He murmured to the barkeep as he dove into his drink.

_Is how impulsive Horatio could be. I remember how moody Horatio could be back in college. You catch him at the right time and he could turn on you in a heartbeat. I'm just afraid that he'd say or do something that would make IAB really look into him and his pas- and why do I always burn my tongue when I drink hot cocoa? You would think that I would know better by now but no, I don't._

_I hope Stetler doesn't find out and blow what happened to H's father out of proportion. Oh God, I wish Horatio wouldn't obsess about that so often. I know he still goes to confessional over it. Poor kid, that's a lot of weight to carry. 35 years after he dies and his father still beats him every day, that's fucking relentless. I wish I could find a good shrink to talk to him before he snaps or something. He carries everyone's cross, doesn't he? Which reminds me, I have to tell him that Ray Jr. is back home; he'll be happy to hear that. But still… poor H._

_And if Stetler dares to take that bit of information and hurt Horatio with it he will have to answer to me. I'll bust that arrogant little bastard's jaw, that's what I'll do. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself. …But if they get back later than 5 and/or Horatio has a scratch on his body I shall make sure that Stetler will regret it._


	14. Lunch

***

Thank you Jessi84, vivalavidaa, Lovebug21,and daxy for the reviews.

Thank you JulietBeyondGoth for your review (DeviantArt, ch 1)

Announcement: I have a poll up. Go vote.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Fourteen: Lunch**

Rick once again found himself busy in the kitchen, observing the sweet curves of Horatio's ass from across the room. The redhead was bent over, digging around in the closet for a spare coat.

"You know, Horatio," Rick said from behind the counter, "you could use my coat if you let me borrow your sweater".

"No, it's okay," Horatio called, "I'm sure I'll find something soon enough. What's for lunch anyways?"

"Beer battered fish, one of the few things I took with me from Oklahoma. My father used to make it after my uncle and his friends came back from their fishing trips".

Rick smiled sweetly at the feeling of nostalgia. Horatio looked over his shoulder and watched as his lover was lost in a flashback to his childhood. He wondered if his family approved of his lifestyle, and if they did if they would approve of him. Looking away wistfully he fell into his own little trance, although he was quickly able to shake it off. Rick's family was something he knew he had to deal with, but not for a while at least. He decided to change the topic.

"Rick, when we get back to Miami, how about we have a nice big dinner made with something besides fish?"

"That sounds really really nice… I'll make you some lemon chicken. O! And some hummus, I haven't made hummus in a while".

"You don't have to cook for me, love. I want you to relax. There's this quiet little Italian place just outside of jurisdictions, you'll like it. They have live music on Friday nights and the greatest wine selection I've ever seen. Not to mention the fact that their food is absolutely-".

"-delicious," Rick breathed into Horatio's neck. He had left the kitchen when Horatio wasn't paying attention and had placed himself right behind the redhead. His hands gently stroked Horatio's hips as he lightly dug his arousal into his backside. "It sounds wonderful".

Horatio braced himself to the closet frame, groaning softly under Rick's assault. Rick coiled his arms around the other man's waist as he humped the redhead. Horatio threw back his head onto Rick's shoulder, biting his lip and moaning; longing to feel more, but yet-

"-Rick, stop," Horatio gasped.

"Whatever for?" Rick whispered against Horatio's skin. His fingers had traveled to Horatio's belt, unfastening the buckle. He reached down and gave the other man a good grope, feeling what he knew to be his doing. "I think we're just getting started".

Horatio rested his weight against Rick as he felt his pants be pulled open and drop to the floor. Stetler gently rubbed Horatio's arousal though the fabric of his boxers.

"No," Horatio moaned, "not now".

"But 'now' feels like a very good time to me," Rick purred.

Painfully slowly, one by one, Rick unbuttoned Horatio's shirt. He ran his fingers through the other man's chest hair, as red as every other hair on his body. Horatio released a soft gasp as Rick sucked on his neck, raising a mark.

"It's just that-that-that-that…" Horatio struggled to speak as all thought began to stop. Rick had slid his hands into the elastic of his boxers and had pushed them far from his hips. His fingers ghosted over Horatio's erection, making the redhead tremble.

"That what?" Stetler hummed, lightly running a finger the length of Horatio's shaft.

"Tha-that. We ha-have to do a lot of walking. And I…I-I-I think it best that we don't wear… ourselves…out right… right n- Oh God, I want you, Rick". Horatio spun around and forced his tongue into Rick's mouth, swirling it around.

He backed Rick up into the couch, taking command of the situation. His hands flew down Rick's shirt leaving a trail of open buttons behind them. He grabbed on to the waistband of Rick's pants and pulled him in for another searing kiss.

"Actually, H, you made a pretty good point back there. We can't hike down the mountain if we're too tir- Oh Horatio!"

Rick had been freed from his trousers and boxers and had been laid down on the couch almost naked. Horatio ran his tongue and lips against Rick's straining cock, sucking gently on the leaking tip. Horatio looked up and smiled at his lover before he rushed off to the bedroom, leaving Rick panting and in a dazed state.

A moment later Horatio returned, the bottle of lotion in hand. He positioned himself between Rick's legs, stroking and fondling the other man. He kept caressing Rick until he was reduced to a series of whimpers and moans.

The tease continued as Horatio crawled on top of Rick, kissing him again. He rubbed their arousals together as he watched Rick quiver beneath him. The rest of Horatio's body remained just a breath away from the other man's; with the exception of the redhead's tongue, which occasionally lashed out to taste Rick's lips.

Rick squirmed under Horatio, wanting and needing more from his lover. He tried to pull Horatio in for a tongue tangling kiss, but to no avail. Desperate for more stimulation, he thrust his hips up against the redhead's erection, trying to get more friction.

"Fuck me, H," Rick was finally able to moan.

"Whatever you want," Horatio smiled, finally granting Rick another kiss.

Horatio sat back on his heels, positioning Rick's body as he lubed up his cock. Without preparation or really much warning, Horatio probed at Rick's entrance; slowly and smoothly sliding into him. Stetler whimpered under him, the experience of such physical connection between him and the object of his desire still felt so new and foreign to him.

Despite it being the middle of the day, the room was dimly lit, the only light coming from the fireplace and a small lamp left on in the kitchen. The heavy curtains blocked out all sunlight. Rick looked up and watched the flickering light from the hearth play against his lover's freckled complexion and radiant hair. The scratches on Horatio's chest were still a little red, making him look all the more sexual from Stetler's position.

Stetler let out a long moan as Horatio's thrusts fell into time with his own pulse. He adjusted so Horatio could drive deeper into him, his breath catching as he felt Horatio get the hint. Finally Horatio was able to consistently hit Rick's prostate, making Rick clamp down on him, pulling a soft gasp from the redhead.

Horatio continued thrusting into Rick as he leaned down and placed soft kisses across his lover's chest. Stetler reached up under Horatio's unbuttoned shirt and dragged his nails down the lieutenant's back again and again. Horatio smiled into the kiss, enjoying the bit of pain that he has found Stetler to be able to deliver during sex; although he couldn't for the life of him figure out why it brought him so much pleasure.

The redhead sat back up, biting his lip as he felt himself teeter on the edge. He began to lose control as he thrust erratically into Rick's willing body. Rick grasped onto the cushions beneath him, trying desperately not to touch himself until Horatio had cum; but he was quickly losing that battle. He reached down and began pumping his cock, despite how close Horatio was. Looking down and seeing Rick stroke himself was the redhead's undoing. He let out Rick's name in a long moan as he came into him.

Rick closed his eyes and arched his back as he shot his release over his hand, Horatio's name on his lips. His body fell and sank back into the sofa, his breath labored and his ears ringing. Rick's eyes rolled back as he fell into a mild state of delirium.

***

The next thing Stetler remembered was feeling was Horatio's lips against his chest. Slightly groggy, he reached up and began petting his lover's scarlet hair. Horatio had gotten dressed and had draped a blanket over Rick's body.

"Welcome back," Horatio cooed softly as he turned to look at Rick.

"Do you have any idea how wonderful you are to wake up next to?" Rick murmured.

Horatio kissed Rick on the cheek sweetly before he stood up.

"I turned the stove off for you, I was afraid I would ruin it if I started myself. Then I would have to catch more fish. And I really don't want to go anywhere near that lake again".

Still not fully awake, Rick climbed off of the couch and stepped back into his boxers and pants.

"How much time do we have before we should get going?" Rick asked as he pulled his belt back on.

"About an hour".

"Then I should have just enough time to feed you before we have to get out the door", Rick said, rushing towards the kitchen. "And if there is anything that needs…erm … 'cleaning up'; it would be really great if you could do that".

"Already done".

"Great. Did you find a coat?"

"No I didn't".

"I highly encourage you to use mine for at least part of the walk, I'm more accustomed to cold weather than you are".

"Does it get colder in Oklahoma than it does in New York?"

"That's my offer, take it or leave it".

"Alright," Horatio said with a smile as he watched Rick work topless for a while. "You want your shirt back?"

"Later. Cooking."


	15. Out the Door

***

Thank you madysoncurrier, lovebug21, Jessi84, tbsavafob, and daxy for the reviews.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Fifteen: Out the Door**

Horatio stood at the counter, taking his time with the fish cooling on his plate. A lemon and a salt shaker were on standby for when Rick told him it would be safe to dig in. The kitchen was clean, the beds were made, and everything was ready for them to leave. Except for Rick. Rick was lying on the sofa, holding a melted bag of ice to his chest and squirming uncomfortably in the constant pain that had overtaken him.

"Do you want me to grab you more ice?" Horatio called over. He had been shooed away after a few minutes of hovering over Rick, who liked his privacy when he was injured.

Stetler lifted the bag and looked down at his chest. A blotch of his flesh was bright red, almost glowing. The sharp sting returned to him as he lifted off the ice. He swore loudly as he winced in pain.

"It's still irritated," Stetler moaned as he struggled not to touch his chest.

"I'm pretty sure that now it's because you won't leave it alone. Come here, let me bandage you up".

Reluctantly, Rick pulled himself off the sofa and trudged over to Horatio, the bag of now lukewarm water in hand. The redhead leaned in and kissed Rick lightly on the cheek before he wrapped the thick gauze strips around his lover's torso.

"Hold still," Horatio ordered as Rick kept moving and making the strips fall.

Stetler obeyed, grumbling to himself over the unpleasant feeling of compression on his now tender chest.

"Will it leave a scar?" Rick asked, turning his neck in an attempt to face Horatio.

"Maybe a light one," Horatio responded as he taped off the strips of fabric, "but it should disappear within a few weeks if you treat it properly".

Rick groaned, but it turned into a pleased hum as Horatio spun him around and captured his lips. His arms wrapped around Horatio, holding him close despite the stinging sensation he felt on his chest. The redhead broke the kiss and gave Rick a soft smile of pity. Rick looked into the sky blue eyes of his lover; he looked so playful and young. And already the pain began to fade to the back of his mind.

"And what did we learn today?" Horatio grinned.

"We learned," Rick sighed, "not to work with hot oil with our shirts off".

"Very good," the redhead hummed as he pulled himself from Rick and made his way over to his lunch.

***

The two men stood at the door, fully dressed for the bitter cold outside. Stetler absently played with the fabric of his red scarf as he looked around the cabin. Horatio enfolded himself deep into Rick's coat, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I would love to get back to Miami," Rick sighed, "but part of me could never want to leave this place".

"Same here," Horatio whispered, "to think… before I… I was so horrible to you, never once thinking how wonderful this life could be. And now finally having it and having to hide my feelings from the rest of the world…"

"Think of it as our little secret".

"I know… but I don't want to have to snap at you whenever you come in the lab".

"But I would know it's just for show… and so would you".

"I know I would feel like I'm lying," Horatio gazed into Rick's dark brown eyes, "I just want to tell the world about us".

"As do I, as do I. But can you imagine what would happen if word got out that the leading CSI in Miami is bi? You know very well that anyone you put behind bars is fully capable of connecting to the outside world. If anyone found out, a hit would be put on you almost immediately. I can't put you in that kind of danger".

"Nor I you".

"Not to mention that this could cost us our jobs. Imagine if we were exposed and what that would do to the integrity of the department. It would be impossible not to see everything that transpires between us at work as _not_ a conflict of interests," Rick turned his face away, "Oh God, I can be such a hypocrite. To think of the number of relationships I had to make public to protect the department. Given, they were only among CSIs and they were all heterosexual, but still-"

"-Rick," Horatio cut him off, "_you_ know that we don't love each other for the other's profession. _I_ know that we don't love each other for the other's profession. We'll still be true to what best suits the department, even if we disagree at times. As long as there are no conflicts of interest (and there won't be) we should be fine. Even if another IAB finds out and tells everyone in the department, we should be fine. I don't care if my entire lab thinks I'm gay, I don't care if they look at me cross-eyed for a few weeks. I just know it won't be easy. It's… It's… It's none of their business, just as long as we don't make it their business. We could live in the lab as if nothing has happened and live the nights as if our world has completely changed".

Rick smiled at this as he saw the romance in Horatio's eyes.

"Besides", Horatio said with a sly grin, "It could be fun".

The redhead reached down to the door handle with his white gloved hand, but he was stopped by Rick.

"Horatio," he started, "seeing this as the last moment before we really have to worry about anyone intruding on our privacy, I think-"

Horatio cut him off, he knew what Rick wanted. He pulled the brunette in close to him, brushing their lips together. They lingered there for a few moments before Rick ran his tongue over Horatio's lip, begging entrance. The redhead opened his mouth and let Rick deepen the kiss, their tongues gently and slowly massaging each other. Rick sighed happily into Horatio's mouth, wrapping his arms around the redhead's waist.

The kiss seemed to last forever, coupled with soft moans and whimpers from both men. Rick slipped his hands under the coat that cloaked Horatio's body, fumbling with his lover's belt. The redhead broke the kiss, leaving Rick gasping for breath.

"No," he said simply, batting Rick's hands away.

"No?"

"Not now," Horatio smiled, "Come up to my room at 11 o'clock tonight. Room 943".

"Eleven. 943," Rick echoed with a nod.

Horatio ran his fingers though Rick's short brown hair and kissed him one final time in the cabin where they fell in love. Stetler reached down and turned the door knob, letting in a chilling gust of wind. The two men looked out into the sparkling sea of untouched snow. Stetler reached down and gave Horatio's hand a quick squeeze.

"Don't forget how much you're supposed to hate me now," Rick whispered to Horatio.

"What do I say when people ask how we passed the time?"

"Tell them that we read and barely made eye contact".

"What about my jacket?"

"Say we got into an argument over the lab and I burned it to spite you".

"And the limp?"

"We got into a fight, that's why I have one too. That also explains the bruises on your wrists".

"Are you sure you want to come across as so hostile?"

"It's the only way".

***

Horatio and Rick trudged through the snow, handing off the coat once every 20 minutes. They were silent, knowing the problems that would arise if they were caught taking a slightly friendly tone with each other. Rick was used to a stony silence between him and Horatio, but the redhead wasn't. After a while, the lieutenant finally spoke.

"I'm not sure how to explain away the scratch marks on my chest".

His voice took Rick by surprise, making him jump slightly. He looked around, hoping that nobody was close enough to hear them.

"Who would see your chest?"

Horatio shrugged, he wasn't sure why he was asking, himself. He just wanted to hear Rick's voice again; the silence was starting to get to him. Rick finally stopped and looked into Horatio's crystal blue eyes, saddened by the loss of freedom the couple was experiencing. He sighed and took Horatio's gloved hands in his.

"I know you aren't used to this, Horatio," Rick whispered to him, "but if anyone finds out about us… well… I know how much hell IAB could give you. And… the more I think about it the more I believe that I could be fired for what I'm doing. But you know that that is not enough to ever make me want to stop. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Horatio. Even in moments like this where we need to hide, you should know that I still love you more than anything".

Rick quickly leaned in and gave Horatio a quick peck on the cheek.

"Can I have my coat back now?" Rick asked with a gentle smile, "I'm getting cold".

Horatio pulled the coat off of his person, stopping first to remove the map from the coat pocket. Stetler wrapped the coat around him, the redhead's warmth still lingering on it. Horatio shivered as the cold air brushed over his newly exposed flesh.

"How much farther do we have to go?"

Horatio opened the map and felt his heart sink as he realized that the lodge was only beyond the next patch of trees. He quickly looked around, checking to see if he and Rick were indeed alone. They were. Suddenly, the redhead grabbed Rick and dragged him between two large fir trees a few steps away. He wrestled his lover to the ground, pinning him down and kissing him deeply.

Rick struggled under him, just in case someone was watching. Finally he was able to overpower Horatio and push him off. Horatio fell back into the snow, rocking on his heels. Rick scrambled out of the trees, brushing off snow and looking around for prying eyes. He spun around when he heard Horatio's chuckle.

"Now, would I have done that if someone was watching?" Horatio asked with a grin.

Rick sighed and rolled his eyes as he helped his lover out of the snow. Horatio grabbed Rick's collar and pulled him in for another one, but Rick ducked and pulled himself away.

"I believe," Rick started, "that the rest can wait until eleven".

The two smiled at each other before stepping apart and falling back into their roles, making the short walk back to the lodge.


	16. Speak the Speech

***

Thank you Jessi84, vivalavidaa, tbsavafob, daxy, lovebug21, and Wolfsong98 for the reviews.

Announcement: I have a new ficlet up in celebration of the first day of autumn. Check it out.

Also: sorry this chapter's so short.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Sixteen: Speak the Speech**

Mac stood by the large front doors to the lodge, checking his watch every now and again to make sure that Horatio and Stetler didn't stumble though those doors a second too late. Hundreds of questions about the ordeal filled his mind. He played with Horatio's cell phone as he thought and waited.

It was still early, but it was getting dark quickly. The sun was beginning to set over the mountains, casting long, orange rays of light over the snow. Four of the other five pairs were already back and talking amongst each other and with the older man who handed Stetler the map the day before. Victoria Scully was there too, also looking out the window and checking her watch. Mac couldn't help but notice how incredibly nervous she looked.

Then from the door blew in a gust of wind and a sea of profanities spewing from Horatio and Stetler's mouths.

"How the fuck could you get us so fucking lost?!" Horatio shouted over his shoulder at Rick who stood comfortably in his coat at the doorway.

"What the hell is your problem, asshole?!" Rick snapped back, "You've been bitching for the past 30 hours! I don't need any more of your shit! When are you planning on growing some balls and shutting the fuck up?!"

"Gentlemen!" shouted the old man from the middle of the room.

Horatio and Stetler glared at each other for a few seconds before finally settling on opposite sides of the lobby, Horatio with Mac and Rick with Victoria. There was some ado before the crowd calmed down and the old man summoned Victoria to his side.

"This contest," He began, "has without question been a challenge, for some more than others". He shot Horatio and Rick a glare before he continued, "Your progress has been noted and charted and a decision has been reached. It has not been an easy task; there were many things to take into consideration. Aid in our judgments could only go so far, coming in the forms of timers, microphones, and hidden cameras".

At this Horatio's eyes widened, he felt a blush creep up the back of his neck. He stole a glance across the room to see that Rick had turned white as a sheet. It seemed so obvious to them now, of course there had to be cameras hidden around the cabin, how else could the experiment play out? At least one camera had to have caught them; they had sex in every room. Horatio scanned over the room, checking to see if anyone else was taken aback by the invasion of privacy. Everyone else seemed perfectly calm.

The old man kept talking, but Horatio couldn't hear him over his own thoughts. His mind was racing a mile a minute; there was no possible way to explain his actions. No excuse could possibly cover everything that happened between them. The game was over before it had even begun, they were caught. What would happen to them? What would happen to the lab? What would happen to Rick?

"-The results," the old man rambled on, finally able to interrupt Horatio's thoughts, "will be announced in one hour at dinner. In the meantime, I suggest you go to your rooms and grab a change of clothes. You are dismissed".

Horatio and Rick both started to take off like a bat out of hell, but they were stopped by the older man's voice.

"Not you, Lieutenant Caine and Sergeant Stetler," he called out, "I need a word with you two".

The two men sheepishly approached the old man, keeping their distance from each other; just in case they were not caught.

"Although I do not appreciate your usage of language, I cannot say that it hasn't been provoked".

They stood there, not sure how to react. Had they been caught having relations or not?

"You see, we did not know that you two would be from the same jurisdiction. In fact, we really didn't take any precaution against this because the odds of you two being placed together are so incredibly slim. I guess we were proven incorrect in our assumptions. I'm going to tell you right now, there will be no raise. However, as a token of our sincere apologies, we present you now with a… cash settlement".

He handed Rick and Horatio their two respective checks, each for $750.

"Good, that should buy me a new coat," Horatio muttered under his breath, not quite sure if their careers were in danger or not.

"Speaking of which, Lieutenant Caine," the old man said, "Where is your coat?"

Horatio paused, "We got into an argument about what is standard and appropriate procedure for an internal investigation," he lied, "one thing led to another and it kind-of got burnt".

The old man turned to Stetler, who was just able to strike a smug-and-damn-proud-of-it pose.

"That's too bad," the old man said, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. You see, the connection of all the microphones and cameras in your cabin was faulty. We have to look into who set yours up. In the meantime, I suggest you both go to your rooms and rest until dinner. We will understand if you two wish to come in late".

Horatio bit his tongue to keep from laughing with relief. He nodded his thanks before turning his heel and rushing over to meet with Mac at the elevators.

Stetler thanked the old man, leaving the scene with Victoria. They stopped before they got too close to the elevators. Rick turned to her.

"I can't thank you enough, Victoria," he whispered to her.

"Yup," she smiled up at him, "I got you a sexy new boyfriend _and_ I saved your ass".

She quickly passed a flash drive to Rick who pocketed it.

"This is it?"he asked, indicating the flash drive.

"Everything you two did and said throughout your little visit to the cabin is in there. And guess who was in charge of watching it all".

"Thank God it takes a lot to make you blush".

"Indeed…" she stopped to watch Horatio board the elevator with Mac, humming to herself. "And he's bi, I understand".

"I will fucking kill you, don't even joke about that".

"I wouldn't, don't you worry," she laughed, "I know how much he means to you".

They walked over to the elevators, pushing the button and waiting for a few moments.

"Thanks again, Victoria".

"I wish you two luck back in Miami. I hope everything works out".

"Me too, I just hope that I can get the same days off as him".

They boarded the elevator, suddenly a question popped into Victoria's head.

"How did Horatio get those bruises on his wrists?"

Rick flashed her a quick grin, "wouldn't you like to know?"

***

"How was it?" Mac asked Horatio as they made their way up to the ninth floor.

"I really don't feel like talking about it right now," Horatio grumbled, feigning frustration.

"I understand," Mac nodded, "Will you be coming to dinner?"

"Yeah, I'm getting a little hungry, but right now I just want to lie down for a while".

"Alright, I'll see you then".

The doors opened and the two men went in separate directions without another word, Mac wanting to give Horatio his privacy. As Horatio approached the door he remembered something.

"Mac!" he called out down the hall. Detective Taylor turned around and rushed towards his friend. "You have my keys".

"Oh yeah".

Mac dug into his pockets and pulled out two identical looking keys, with enough fumbling he was able to open room 943 with one of them. He let Horatio in, bid farewell again, and walked off to his room; absent mindedly pocketing Horatio's key again.

The redhead rested against the door, smiling to himself. It was happening; they were able to keep their relationship a secret. All of the sudden it didn't matter how long they had to live like this, the important thing was that they could pull it off.

He ran over and threw himself onto the bed in a great burst of energy, laughing all the way. Nobody had ever made him so happy before. He lay there giggling for a few moments before rolling off the bed and picking up some fresh clothes. As he changed he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; he stopped and walked over to his image. His body was covered in scratch marks, love bites, and bruises. Suddenly this secret became a lot harder to keep under wraps.


	17. After Dinner

***

Thank you vivalavidaa and tbsavafob for the reviews.

Thank you to Mtwapa, tbsavafob, vivalavidaa, daxy, and Wolfsong98 for the reviews of "Apples", the autumn ficlet.

Announcement: "Apples" and "Rickstock: Three Days of H and Stetler" are part of the community HandS. If you're into Horatio and Stetler stories, I highly recommend checking it out.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Seventeen: After Dinner**

Horatio stood in the lobby, watching the other CSIs file out of the great hall. He looked impatiently down at his watch, wondering if Mac even saw him duck out of dinner. Horatio had taken his time in his room, picking things up and finding an outfit that would cover all the bruises. Consequentially, he was a little late for dinner. The hall was already full when he came in, he had to sit in the back with some CSIs from Maine and West Virginia.

"There you are," Mac called out as he wandered out of the hall, "You feelin' better?"

"Much. I think I just needed to eat something not made by Stetler. What a horrible cook," Horatio lied.

"Well," Mac chuckled, "what did you expect?"

"If you want something done right…"

"You're telling me. Oh, by the way, Yelina called and Ray Jr. is fine. Just as you suspected, he was hiding out at his friend's house until he got his nerves back under control. He damn near gave his mother a heart attack too. And I told Yelina about the whole cabin thing, she is (I quote) 'sorry you had to spend the night with that spineless bastard'".

The vast number of friends from whom he had to keep this secret was beginning to dawn on Horatio. He hadn't really thought much of Yelina's homophobia since Rick pointed it out to him, but it was something he would have to confront eventually. She mustn't have known that Horatio himself was bi at the time. But they had known each other for a while by then. Perhaps his sexual orientation was a bit more secretive than he thought it was. He just hoped that she didn't pass her ideas on to Ray Jr. He'd hate to lose a nephew because of this.

Despite what was going on in his head, he had to laugh at this. Mac was just trying to lighten the mood, after all.

"Come up to my room so we can talk about my days in hell in peace," Horatio said with a light smile.

"Alright, I just need to do something first. I should be back in five minutes, okay?"

Horatio nodded and Mac disappeared into the crowd. He stood there, replaying in his head the description of the fight he had to make up. He didn't want to be unrehearsed. He felt a small tug on his shirt sleeve. He turned and looked down to see Victoria; she was a lot shorter than he thought she was. She smiled up at him.

"Rick says 'hi'," she whispered to him.

"How is he?" Horatio quietly responded

"Fine, fine. I have a present for you," she pulled out a flash drive from her pocket and handed it to him, "Rick has the original. I thought you'd appreciate a copy".

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you," she grinned, "just don't plug it into a company computer".

Horatio's eyes widened as he realized what he was holding, he stuffed it into his pocket. He leaned down and spoke very quietly into her ear.

"Thanks for setting me up with him".

"No problem, thanks for being a sweet distraction away from the other four cabins I had to watch".

Horatio felt the blush rise up the back of his neck and fill his cheeks. He looked away, smiling but not sure what to say.

"I didn't invade your privacy, H," she giggled, "I just wanted to help you keep it".

"You're very sweet".

"As are you, Rick's a very lucky guy," she babbled, "I mean, just look at you, you're gorgeous. Hell, if you weren't going out with my best friend I would totally- oh dear, I've said too much. Gotta go".

She started blushing herself as she scampered off. Horatio stood back up, chuckling quietly. If they didn't just eat he was sure that she would have offered to cook him dinner, as so many women have done before her. But she was a good person, he wasn't quite sure if he could have done what she did; even for his best friend, Frank Tripp. Frank: just another person who wouldn't understand his relationship with Rick. Oh well, they'll make new friends at the places they will hide out at.

Mac walked back up to Horatio, he hadn't seen Victoria and had no idea of the contents of a flash drive Horatio now had in his possession.

"Should we get away from the crowd?" Mac asked as the constant drone of chatter began to grow louder. Horatio nodded and led Mac to the elevator, all the way rubbing the USB drive in his pocket.

***

Horatio opened the door and held it open for Mac, who was given pause before he even set foot inside. Mac gingerly lifted Horatio's hand from the doorknob and pushed up Horatio's sleeve, revealing the entire bruise on his wrist.

"Jesus Christ," Mac murmured as he examined the wound, "what'd he do to you?"

"We got into a fight, he got the other one too," he said revealing his other wrist, "and he hit my right thigh pretty hard as well".

"I was wondering why you were limping," Mac nodded.

"I got him back though," Horatio quickly stated, just in case there was any suspicion in Mac's mind, "right in the side of the knee".

"I'm just surprised that you didn't blacken that jerk's eye".

"Pardon?"

"Well, I've seen you fight before," Mac started, "you usually don't go very far beyond an immobilizing punch to the face".

Horatio felt his palms begin to sweat; he wasn't used to dancing around a lie such as this. "You know those IAB agents," Horatio finally said after a long sigh, "always wanting to call us out on excessive force".

"You're preaching to the choir, H," Mac said with a smile as he plopped down on the bed.

Horatio began nervously drumming his fingers against his leg in anticipation. He had the feeling that Mac knew something that he just wasn't letting on. Or else Mac hadn't gotten much sleep and wouldn't be expressing much emotion anyways. It was hard to tell with him. At any rate, he was starting to regret agreeing to this.

"Wanna catch the game?" Mac blurted out.

"What?"

"C'mon, H! Football! You like football, right?"

"Football's good," Horatio muttered as he watched Mac fumble with the remote.

"You go for the Dolphins or the Giants? Oh wait, the Giants aren't playing today. Lucky you".

Horatio smiled weakly as he sat on the other side of the bed. He wasn't sure about any of Mac's actions anymore. But he didn't want to say anything, just in case Mac was ignorant of what happened. He was afraid that the truth might ruin a good friendship.

"Can I make room service bring us some beer?" Mac turned to Horatio, phone already in hand.

"Wha? Oh. Yeah. Go ahead".

"You okay, Horatio?"

"Yeah, these past few days have just been a little much for me".

"Understandably so," Mac said as he turned back to the phone and ordered the beer.

The two of them sat on the bed, watching the Dolphins play the Packers, commenting on the game and drinking beer when it finally arrived. After a while Horatio's fears began to slip away from him, but only to be brought back to him as the evening wore on.

"I know why you've been so on edge, Horatio," Mac said quietly, "You don't have to be ashamed".

"What are you talking about?" Horatio pretended.

"Don't act like you don't know".

Horatio sat there quietly, not sure if he was truly found out or not. Mac was pretty bright, so it wouldn't surprise him if he did. But how much was he letting on? He wasn't quite sure. Maybe Mac heard him and Victoria talking. It was doubtful, but still a possibility. Anyways, he should probably respond soon, preferably with something verbal and neutral.

"You don't think any less of me?" Horatio finally said.

"A real friend would never think any less of you for that," Mac responded.

_You sneaky bastard, why won't you come out and say it? Now it sounds like I know what I'm talking about. Oh well, better continue beating around the bush until he drops a hint._

"You're sure you're not ashamed?"

"Of course not," Mac smiled, "I've been in your position before… well… something similar at least".

_Mac's gay? No. That doesn't sound right. Now I'm really confused. Time to start delving._

"Really?"Horatio said, cocking his head.

"Oh yeah, more times than I'd usually care to admit", Mac sighed, "It hurts like hell at first, but at the same time you don't want to stop. After a while you just accept that you've gone too far and there's no turning back, you gotta finish what you started. Eventually you are able to walk away, thoroughly tenderized and knowing that you just experienced something you can't exactly write home about".

_Does Mac know he's speaking in innuendos? God I hate farce. This is ridiculous. I have no idea what he's talking about._

"I have no idea what you're talking about".

"Oh come on, Horatio. You can't just deny it. Look at yourself, the bruises, the limp, everything. You'd have to be blind not to see it. And Rick, not a scratch on him. You got your ass pounded, didn't you".

_Does he think I lost a fight or is he just being incredibly raunchy?_

"You can't win every fight, H," Mac concluded.

_Oh thank God._

"Yeah," Horatio sighed in relief, "I guess you're right".


	18. Eleven in Room 943

Thank you Jessi84, AZNsexinezz,and tbsavafob for the reviews.

Don't forget to check out my wee little Rick ficlets. :)

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Eighteen: Eleven in Room 943**

"Damn Packers," Horatio mumbled as he turned off the TV. The game wasn't over, but for him it was. Mac chuckled as he climbed off the bed and stretched. He looked at his watch.

"I better get going," He grunted as he stretched again.

Horatio looked over at the clock, it was 10:50. Mac had better get going pretty quickly.

"I hope you get some sleep tonight," Horatio said, getting up and opening the door for him.

"Me too," Mac waved half-heartedly as he trudged out the door and started down the hall, "G'night, H,".

"'Night, Mac. I'll see you tomorrow," Horatio mumbled, feigning sleepiness.

He closed the door, biting his lip to keep from screaming in anticipation for Rick. He picked up the empty beer glasses and slid them across the hall. He only had enough time to slap on some cologne (God knows why he even brought it with in the first place) before he heard a knock at the door. He looked out the peep-hole, making sure that it wasn't Mac forgetting something.

"Rick," Horatio breathed as he opened the door.

Ever careful of whatever prying eyes may be out there, Rick slipped into the room and softly closed the door behind him. He set a large paper bag down on the floor and wrapped his arms around Horatio, pulling him in for a deep kiss. The redhead went weak at the knees as Rick swirled his tongue around his mouth.

"How have things been going?" Rick smiled, "You've had to keep our secret for six hours, did you succeed in that mission?"

"Mac scared the hell out of me, I was sure he was onto us".

"But he wasn't?"

"No, he's pretty convinced that we were just in a fight".

"Wonderful, wonderful," Rick hummed as he gave Horatio a light peck on the cheek, "by the way, did Victoria give you the flash drive?"

"Oh yes," Horatio replied pulling it out of his pocket, "I have to put this in a safe place".

Horatio walked over to his suitcase and tucked the drive into one of his shoes he already packed. God forbid anyone find it and pull open its contents. He turned back to Rick.

"I would like to watch that with you sometime," Horatio blushed.

Rick smiled and nodded at his lover before he reached down and picked up the brown paper bag.

"I have more gifts for you," He said, digging his hand into the bag.

"What? Oh Rick, you didn't have to do this for me. It's very sweet and all but- is that champagne?"

Rick nodded and set the bottle down on the table, pulling out two glasses he had wrapped in tissue paper.

"And you bought glasses," Horatio grinned, popping open the bottle and pouring them drinks.

"Yeah… 'bought'…"

"You swiped them from the dining hall, didn't you?"

"They won't miss them. Besides, when we're done with them we can put them out with the people across the hall's beer glasses. But before we drink…" Rick bent over and pulled out a large black mass of fabric out of the bag, "I hated seeing you cold today".

Horatio reached out and opened up his new jacket. It was long, about down to his knees, and just the right weight to keep out the wind but not necessarily the cold. It was the sort of jacket he could wear in New York.

"You didn't have to do this, Rick".

"I wanted to. Besides, it was something that you would have bought for yourself anyways. So are these other things… kinda," Rick said digging into the bag.

"'these other things'?"

"Well, something that you might not have bought for yourself," Rick murmured as he pulled out a small glass tub filled with a light colored cream.

"What's that?"

"It's foundation," Horatio looked at Rick blankly, who then had to go on to explain, "a type of makeup".

"What do I need that for?"

Rick pulled Horatio over to the mirror and unbuttoned the top few buttons of redhead's shirt. He turned Horatio to see his reflection and the pulled open his collar, revealing suction marks that stood prominently out against his pale freckled complexion.

"Ah. I see. So… how do I use it?"

"Like this".

Rick twisted the lid off of the little tub and glided his finger over the pale cream. He held his lover still as he applied the foundation to the mark, covering it and matching his skin tone perfectly. Horatio smiled at his reflection.

"I wouldn't have thought of that".

"When you have an older sister you can pick up some pretty useful information," Rick chuckled.

Horatio cocked his head, "You have an older sister?"

Rick nodded, "Yeah, Claire. There was a four year age difference and she moved out once she turned 18, so I didn't get to know her too well when I was growing up. She married young. She and her husband run an inn just outside of Kaw City; I should take you there sometime. I'm sure she'll love to meet you".

"I'd like that," Horatio smiled.

Smirking, Rick pulled the redhead in for another kiss, pressing their lips together and allowing Horatio to deepen it. The kiss quickly became heated as their tongues slid against each other and their hands wandered. Stetler wrestled Horatio down onto the bed, groping the pronounced bulge in his lover's trousers as they descended. Rick unbuttoned the rest of Horatio's shirt as he pulled the other man to the middle of the bed.

Rick stopped, hovering over the redhead, watching him catch his breath. Horatio gasped as Rick leaned down and began sucking on his neck, the sensation made him squirm slightly.

"Horatio," Stetler breathed into his lover's chest, "I have some more presents for you… some things I know you wouldn't buy for yourself". Rick sat up and stroked Horatio's sides, making him shiver. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong," Rick continued, letting the southern drawl come out in his voice, "But you made it my understanding that you are interested in… restraint".

The redhead could hardly breathe he was so filled with lust. He couldn't speak, his mouth was too dry. So all he could do was nod in response.

"I had hoped so," Rick said as he climbed off Horatio and dug into the bag.

Horatio threw off his trousers before he sat up, clambering backwards until his back was against the headboard. Rick stood back up and threw three new toys onto the bed. Horatio picked up what landed closest to him, a pair of handcuffs covered in soft white fur.

"I thought those would be better for our uses that what the department issues us," Rick grinned.

"I'd imagine so," Horatio smirked as he turned the cuffs about in his hands. "What else did you throw up here?"

"This," Rick whispered, handing Horatio a bottle of lube. "And this," he hummed, picking up the last object and pulling off Horatio's silk boxers. Horatio shivered at the touch of Rick's fingers against his stiff cock. He felt a cock ring snap around the base of his member and his eyes widened.

"I never had one of these before," Horatio breathed.

"You'll enjoy it, I know you will," Rick purred as he resumed stroking Horatio's sides. He paused only momentarily to pull off his own clothes. Stetler had removed the bandages from his chest, his wound already seeming to heal quite nicely. He hovered over his lover again, leaning down and flicking his tongue over Horatio's lips.

"Do you want to try out the handcuffs too?" Rick murmured into Horatio's mouth.

Horatio nodded in response and the next instant found himself handcuffed to the bars of the headboard. Luckily this hotel happened to have that sort of a bed. Rick kissed Horatio, working his way down the redhead's body. He took one of Horatio's nipples in his teeth, rubbing the nub with the tip of his tongue.

The sensation was overwhelming to Horatio; nobody had done this to him in decades. He arched his body into Rick's mouth and moaned loudly.

"Shh!" Rick hissed, letting go of Horatio, "I don't know how thin these walls are".

"I'm sorry," Horatio breathed, "I can't think straight when I'm like this".

"It's okay," Rick whispered, leaning into Horatio's other nipple, "Just don't do it again".

Horatio bit his lip to keep from making much noise, but Rick was stimulating him in ways he hadn't felt since he was in college. Unable to hold himself back for much longer he gasped Rick's name quite audibly.

"What did I just say?"

"I didn't mean to. I just… just…"

"You know what?" Rick growled as he pulled himself off of Horatio and began digging around in the pile of clothes he threw to the ground. "I had a suspicion that I might need to use this," he climbed back onto the bed, his orange tie in hand.

He sat on Horatio's chest, holding him down as he tied the makeshift gag over the redhead's mouth. Horatio tried to speak, but he was completely muffled.

"Well," Rick sighed, sliding back to Horatio's midsection, "We know that works. You comfortable?"

Horatio nodded and dug his aching cock into Rick's thigh.

"Comfortable and quite impatient," Rick smirked, "Don't worry, Lieutenant, I won't keep you waiting for much longer".

***

Meanwhile, Mac Taylor sat on the edge of his bed, pulling of his clothes. He hadn't been so ready for a good night's sleep in weeks. He was just looking forward to lying down, but something stopped him in the process. His hand brushed against Horatio's phone in his pocket. He had forgotten to return it to him.

Knowing that he would forget to get the cell back to Horatio in the morning, he zipped his pants back up and grabbed the key to Horatio's room. He had better just leave it on his dresser.

***

Horatio bit into the gag as he felt Rick's lubed up cock prod at his now slicked and stretched entrance. Rick slid himself into his lover's tight core, smiling to himself as the feeling of power and control overtook him again. Horatio let out a muffled cry as Rick began to pound his willing body into the mattress.

"Oh Lieutenant," Rick hissed as he clawed open one of the scratches from that morning.

Horatio arched his back, digging his shoulders into the bed. He attempted to gasp and cry out as Rick struck him across the face. Stetler was getting rougher with him, but he seemed relatively controlled…maybe. Either way, it was making the redhead incredibly hot.

Stetler reached down and took one of Horatio's nipples between his thumb and forefinger, pinching him hard. He ran his nails down Horatio's side as he did this, raising red marks as he went. Horatio screamed again in a combination of pain and pleasure. His mind was in a fog and he was seeing stars.

It was at this time that Mac opened the door.


	19. Interrupted

***

Thank you Jessi84, vivalavidaa, Wolfsong98, daxy, tbsavafob, and AZNsexinezz for the reviews.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Nineteen: Interrupted**

Mac stood there, his brain completely numb. He was pulled out of his drowsy state as his eyes took in the sight of Stetler completely dominating his good friend.

Neither man heard him come in. Horatio kept momentarily blacking out, his ears couldn't stop ringing. Stetler was lost in his own mind as he manipulated Horatio's body, making it do everything and anything he wanted. He raised his arm threateningly and then let it come down against Horatio's cheek. The redhead struggled and writhed, crying out into the gag that muted him.

It wasn't until Rick struck Horatio across the face that Mac was able to snap out of it.

"Get your filthy hands off of him, Stetler!" Mac roared, charging the bed.

Stetler was able to snap out of his trance just in time to duck as Mac let a fist fly though the air, aimed at his adversary's head. Rick looked down; Horatio hadn't come back down to earth yet, his eyes were closed and he was still quite delirious, moaning constantly.

"What the fuck, Mac?" Rick hissed, turning his head.

Mac's blood boiled with rage as Stetler continued to ravish Horatio's body when he spoke to him. He reached for the jackknife in his back pocket.

"You heard what I said!" The New York cop retorted.

Rick tried to responded, but at the same time he tried to speak Horatio clamped down on him. All that was able to pass though Rick's lips was a muted moan. Unconsciously, Stetler reached down and began fondling the Miami lieutenant. Horatio's muted scream cut through Mac's ears, making him draw his blade.

Mac pounced up on the bed, grabbing Stetler's arms and pinning them behind him. He reached up and laid the flat side of the blade against the other man's throat.

"I said," Mac breathed into Rick's ear, "get your filthy, fucking, god-forsaken hands off of him".

"You wouldn't kill me," Rick quietly gasped, he hadn't completely come back to reality.

Mac tightened his grip on Stetler, making the other man wince in pain.

"You're right," Mac went on, "I wouldn't… However… If you don't pull yourself out of him in the next five seconds I will cut you out of him".

The flat of Mac's blade traveled down Stetler's chest and stomach, moving towards his throbbing hardness.

"You don't understand!" Rick said through gritted teeth, "This is consensual".

"You know what, Stetler?" Mac said, his other hand letting go of Rick's arms, "It doesn't look very fucking consensual".

Rick's eyes widened as Mac wrapped his fingers around his throat and placed the tip of the blade against the base of his cock.

"Leave him alone," Mac growled into Stetler's ear as he lightly began to strangle him.

Not really enjoying his air supply being slowly cut off, Stetler obeyed and pulled out of Horatio. Mac pocketed his blade and went back to restraining Rick's arms.

"There," Stetler chocked, "you happy?"

"Not quite".

The next sound Stetler heard near made him have a heart attack. Mac had opened his pants.

"It would be wise, Rick, for you not to make a sound and do exactly as I say".

Rick tried to protest, but Mac tightened his grip around his neck. Reluctantly he nodded.

Mac looked down at Horatio. His body was trembling with anticipation, his eyes shut tightly; he was waiting for Rick to finish him. He thought he was just being held in suspense.

"Let's put our friend out of commission for a while," Mac whispered into Rick's ear as he reached down and snapped off Horatio's cock ring. The redhead came harder than he had in years, practically sobbing with his release. Rick watched in horror as his lover blacked out almost instantly after he came.

"I don't want him to have to see me do this," the third man sighed as he snapped Horatio's ring onto Rick's cock, "you understand, don't you? You see… I've always believed in 'an eye for an eye'; in my opinion, that is real justice".

"But I didn't rape him! It was completely con- mmf!"

Mac had reached into Horatio's suitcase and pulled out one of his ties, gagging Rick with it. He also pulled out Horatio's MDPD issued handcuffs and slapped them onto Stetler's wrists, shackling them behind his back. Stetler winced at the feeling of cold metal against him. Rick was pulled off the bed, his feet resting on the cold floor beneath it.

"I have always wanted to give you rapists what you have always deserved," Mac hissed against Rick's flesh, "now bend over".

Rick had never felt so trapped, helpless, and frightened in his entire life. The anticipation of the inevitable haunted him, turning his blood to ice. The drive to fight off Mac was canceled by the nerves that neatly paralyzed him. His heart was racing in terror and his once warm sweat turned cold. Full of fear, he did the only sensible thing he could think of: beg. He turned towards Mac, his soft brown eyes pleading for freedom.

Mac roughly grabbed Rick's shoulders and turned him back, giving them a good shove and making him fall into the position Mac desired.

"You know… Stetler," Rick trembled in fear at the way Mac let his family name hiss as he spoke it, "I don't want to fuck you… I just want to see you in pain".

***

Horatio didn't know how long he had been out, but his body was still tingling from what Rick had given him. And to his surprise, he was still gagged and cuffed to the headboard. It mustn't have been that long since he blacked out. He was still pretty groggy, so it took him a few seconds to realize that the mattress was moving. The sound of grunts and flesh against flesh became clear to him too. He blinked a few times to get his contacts back into alignment before he looked around. What he saw made his heart jump to his throat and turned his stomach to stone.

Mac had Rick bent over the side of the bed, Rick's chest resting on the mattress. Mac stood behind him, pounding into his helplessly struggling body. Rick was handcuffed and gagged; his muffled screams of pain were coupled with the tears that ran down his face. There were fresh open wounds that striped down his arms. His entire body was straining for freedom and was beaded with sweat.

Mac continued to thrust into Rick, not noticing that Horatio had regained consciousness. He lifted the hand that had previously been out of Horatio's line of sight, it held the pocket knife. With it he made a two inch long horizontal cut into Rick's back, similar to those on his arms. Rick screamed and struggled to escape; Horatio tried to pull himself out of his handcuffs.

Mac saw Horatio struggle and looked up at him.

"Oh, sorry you had to see that, H," He grunted and he thrust hard into Rick's body, "remember when we used to talk about doing this to rapists?"

Horatio struggled harder against his restraints as Rick turned his face away from him.

"I would have freed you right away, but I wanted to take care of this bastard first. I honestly thought that you'd be out longer than that. Just give me a few more minutes, I'm almost done".

Mac leaned down, driving deeper into Rick. Horatio watched Rick's body tremble under the weight of the heavy sobs that overcame him. His mind and heart racing with adrenaline and rage, Horatio turned his body and kicked Mac in the head, hard.

Mac reeled back in a foggy pain that left him breathless. He pulled out of Rick and collapsed back onto the floor. Weakly, Rick was able to stumble over to the nightstand and grab the key to Horatio's handcuffs. He operated quickly despite his hands being cuffed behind his back and his vision blurred from the tears. Horatio was freed by the time Mac had regained the stability to stand. The redhead pulled off his gag, but stayed silent. He was far too angry with Mac to form a coherent sentence.

"Come back here, Stetler," Mac growled at Rick.

"Mac," Horatio said sharply, "get the fuck out of my room and do it now".

"But I-".

"Now, Mac".

"Horatio, I just wanted to-".

"-Why is this so fucking difficult for you, Mac?"

"I didn't know you-"

"Go!" Horatio shouted at the detective, whose eyes widened as Horatio grew eerily calm, "We'll talk tomorrow".

Without another word, Mac pulled his pants and boxers back on and rushed out the door. He left his pocketknife on the dresser along with Horatio's phone and key.

"Rick," Horatio whispered as he pulled his lover down onto the bed beside him. The redhead gently untied Rick's gag, his heart breaking slightly as he heard Rick let out a sob. "Oh Rick… you're okay… you're okay… let me find the keys to those cuffs".

He held Rick close to him for a few moments, kissing every knife wound and stroking his hair. Rick buried his face into Horatio's shoulder, wishing that they could just lie down together and sleep in each other's arms.

Finally Horatio stood up and dug around for the key to his handcuffs. After a few moments he came back to Rick, holding him gently as he freed his lover's wrists.

Rick's hands flew to the cock ring, snapping it off and throwing it across the room. What was supposed to remind him of his trusting relationship with Horatio now only contained echoes of sheer terror. He backed up against the headboard, curling up into a ball and hiding his face in his hands as the tears came back to him.

"It's alright to cry," Horatio said soothingly as he held Rick close to him. He kissed the brunette's hair again, "I love you".

The redhead took one of Rick's wrists, bruised and bleeding from his struggle, and gently pressed his lips against it.

"Let's clean you up," Horatio cooed to Rick, leading him off the bed and into the bathroom. He took his time cleaning and bandaging all his lover's wounds. With the exception of the occasional whimper that came with the sting of antibacterial substances, Rick stayed completely silent.

Horatio looked down at his watch, it was past midnight and they needed to be up and ready to go by nine. "We have to get to sleep soon, would you like to stay here with me?"

Rick nodded in response before Horatio could rattle off any other option. Horatio sadly bit at his lip, all he could possibly want at that moment was to hear Rick's voice again. But he didn't want to press Rick to do anything he wasn't comfortable doing as of yet, even if that included speaking.

He led Rick back onto the bed, holding and kissing him as he did. He didn't want the sight of it to bring back too much trauma, although it was still fresh in his mind. Horatio and Rick slipped under the covers and onto the full, cold, pillows.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Horatio smiled weakly as he stroked Rick's cheek.

Rick dug his body into the mattress, nodding slightly in response. He pulled the redhead in close to him and turned in his arms. Horatio lay there, spooning Rick and occasionally kissing the back of his neck. Tears flooded Horatio's eyes as Rick peacefully fell asleep in his arms.


	20. Confrontation

***

Thank you Wolfsong98, vivalavidaa, tbsavafob, Jessi84, and daxy for the reviews.

Announcement: I have a poll up regarding future posting. Pretty important. Go vote.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Twenty: Confrontation**

At around seven in the morning the sunlight began spilling in through the window of Horatio's hotel room. The redhead stirred as the sun streaked across his face, pulling him into the day. His crystal blue eyes slowly drifted open as his hand wandered over the vacant space next to him, feeling for Rick.

For a fleeting moment he feared that the whole relationship was only a dream. But as he felt the bruises on his wrists and scratch marks on his chest he knew it was real. Most of him was relieved at this, but part ached with the realization that his lover's rape was a reality.

Rick wandered out of the bathroom, wrapped in a robe. His hair was darkened by the moisture that still hung in it. He looked down at Horatio with tired eyes before he shed his robe and climbed into bed beside him again.

Horatio ran his hands over Rick's moist and glistening body, trying to avoid contact with the knife wounds that covered his arms. Rick leaned forward and pressed his lips against Horatio's, brushing his tongue against his lover's lip. The redhead opened his mouth, allowing Rick to deepen the kiss. He ran his fingers through Rick's damp hair and moaned into his mouth.

"You feeling better?" Horatio breathed against Rick as he broke the kiss.

Rick curled his body up against Horatio; he buried his face into the redhead's chest and shook his head no. He sighed as his lover gently began to stroke him. Everything still felt like it was in a fog for Rick. He didn't want anything to be real anymore, except for the love he knew Horatio had for him. Right now he knew that that was all that mattered.

Horatio's eyes saddened as he realized that Rick was still too hurt to speak. He tangled his fingers in Rick's hair and began kissing him over and over again.

"It's okay," Horatio whispered between kisses, "You don't have to say anything".

Rick smiled into Horatio's skin. This was the soft, sensitive man he occasionally saw around the lab and managed to completely fall in love with. It never ceased to amaze him that this hard, strong, powerful man who is out on the field apprehending criminals every day could be so beautiful and gentle. Rick could hardly believe that the same hands that worked with bombs and knifes and firearms were so soft and loving and able to make him feel so desired.

"I'm going to speak with Mac today," Horatio finally said. He felt Rick pull their bodies closer at the mention of the New York cop's name. "I know…" Horatio whispered into Rick's hair, "It's not going to be easy. But I have to."

Horatio sat up, but Rick didn't lose the connection to Horatio's chest. The redhead smiled down at his lover and tenderly pulled himself free of Rick's grip. Rick looked sadly up into Horatio's eyes at the loss of contact.

"I won't be too long," Horatio cooed, petting Rick's hair again, "And don't worry about getting dressed for breakfast, just order room service. We won't even have to go to the final speech if you don't want to leave here. No rush".

Horatio slid off the bed, stepping into his boxers and pants. Rick watched quietly as Horatio pulled a belt around his waist and buttoned up his shirt. Horatio's slight stubble and uncombed hair made him look rough and at the same time very appealing. The redhead leaned down and gave Rick a small peck on the cheek before he snatched Mac's belongings off of the dresser and walked out.

***

Mac sat on the edge of his bed in his boxers, scrolling through the messages on his cell phone. He never got that sleep he needed so badly, he spent almost the entire night replaying the events in Horatio's room over and over in his head. At around five in the morning he finally passed out from exhaustion, but it didn't last very long. He rubbed his face, wishing that one night he would finally be able to sleep again.

He heard several hard knocks on his room's door followed by Horatio's voice calling his name. He hesitated when he heard Horatio's tone. It was clear to him that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation; he just wasn't quite sure how difficult it would be. He pulled on his pants before he got up and answered the door.

"Forget something?" Horatio hissed at Mac, pushing him back into the room and slamming the door behind them.

Horatio pulled the pocketknife from his back pocket and threw it at the detective, raising a red mark on Mac's arm. The lieutenant tore across the room, shoving Mac onto the floor next to the dresser. Mac tried to grab for the knife that had spun a few feet out of his reach as Horatio straddled Mac's waist and slammed Detective Taylor's head against the corner of the wardrobe.

Mac bit back a cry, he was breathless and his eyes began to flood with tears; he was pretty sure he was bleeding. Horatio grabbed Mac by the scruff of the neck and pulled him close.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Horatio growled into Mac's ear.

"Horatio, stop".

"Answer me!"

"Let go, you're hurting me".

"I don't fucking care!"

Horatio slammed Mac's head into the dresser again. Mac turned away as he felt a tear slide down the side of his face. He quickly caught his breath before Horatio could hurt him anymore.

"Consider what I saw, Horatio," Mac gasped, "Just let me go for a second".

Lieutenant Caine hesitated for a bit before he released Mac, taking a moment to pick up the pocketknife and throw it across the room. Mac shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, considering he had a man who wanted to kill him sitting on his lap.

"Horatio," Mac began, "you were gagged and cuffed to the bed. Your chest was bleeding, he was hitting you, you were screaming. How could I come to any other conclusion?"

"You RAPED him, Mac!" Horatio growled through gritted teeth.

"I thought he was raping you!"

"That's no excuse!"

"We are trained to react".

"Not that way!"

"What would you have done if it were me?"

"Arrest him, ask questions later".

"This isn't your jurisdiction".

"He wouldn't ask for my fucking jurisdiction, Mac. I have a badge and handcuffs, that would be all I needed to hold him still for a while I made sure you were okay".

Mac stopped, this was indeed a possibility; it just never occurred to him.

"I… I… I was just so angry. I couldn't think straight".

"When you're in that sort of situation, you have to think straight".

"You know what, Horatio?!" Mac snapped, his temperament changing suddenly, "You couldn't stop telling me about how much of an asshole you think he is. You lead me to believe that he excessively beat you. Excuse me for not coming to the conclusion that you two are involved in a romantic relationship!"

Horatio backed up a little bit, cautiously biting his lip before he continued.

"I'll grant you that," He finally said, "but could you imagine what would happen if Rick and I were exposed to our departments? He could lose his job. We could be exposed to the public! Could you imagine what would happen if someone I put in prison found out that I'm bi? Both our lives could be in real danger. We have to keep this a secret".

"Don't you worry about me," Mac said coldly, finally shoving Horatio off of him, "If I reveal your secret you'll just turn around and tell my department about me. We're even".

"Hardly".

The two men stood up and glared into each other's eyes. In a strange mutual understanding, Horatio turned to leave.

"How's he holding up?" Mac stammered out before Horatio could get out the door.

"Really fucking traumatized, Mac," Horatio answered. Without warning, the redhead spun around and slammed his fist against detective Taylor's left eye. Mac stumbled against the wardrobe, tearing his face away from Horatio. "Thanks for asking".

***

Rick had just gotten off the phone with room service, hanging up as Horatio entered the room. The redhead came in, rubbing his knuckles which he managed to bust open against Mac's face. Rick stood up, pulling on his robe and rushing over to Horatio.

Horatio with tired eyes looked up at Rick, cupping his cheek in his hand. Stetler took Horatio's wounded hand, bringing it to his lips and lightly kissing his bloodied knuckles. Horatio smiled sweetly before he brushed Rick's hands away and brought their lips together.

Rick sighed as Horatio brought his hands up and tangled his fingers in his hair. Rick looked down into Horatio's brilliant blue eyes, giving him a gentle concerned look.

"Don't worry", Horatio whispered to him, "Mac won't bother you anymore".

Rick's eyes widened and locked with his lover's.

"Don't give me that look," Horatio chuckled, "I didn't kill him".

The concern disappeared from Rick's face as he calmed down.

"Right now," Horatio sighed into Rick's neck, "I'm going to take a shower. Did you order room service?"

Rick nodded and let go of Horatio. They held hands for a few moments before Horatio kissed him gently and ducked into the bathroom. Horatio closed the door and focused in on the mirror, examining the new scratches and bruises Rick had placed on his body. At the risk of sounding ashamed, he wished quietly to himself that nobody else would see them.

***

Horatio walked out of the bathroom at the same time room service knocked on the door. He opened it, smiling as he watched a tray full of bacon and fried waffles roll in. The pimple-faced room service guy looked uneasily at the two men; obviously not many same-sex couples visited the hotel. From the corner of his eye, Horatio caught Rick flash a mischievous smile to himself.

Stetler got off the bed, still clad in his robe and strutted his way over to Horatio. He took the redhead's face in his hands and made a bit of a show over giving him tongue. The two kissed just long enough to make the room service guy incredibly uncomfortable. Just as the outsider was wondering how long they were going to do this until one of them tipped him, Horatio broke away. He half-glared half-smiled at Rick, who shyly crept back to his seat on the bed. The redhead handed the room service guy a 20, not sure exactly how uncomfortable Rick made him.

"Keep the change," Horatio smiled, sending the young man on his way.

He turned back to Rick, who had a big grin on his face that he just couldn't shake off.

"He was nice enough to bring us food, Rick," Horatio chuckled, "Don't make him all uncomfortable".

Stetler rolled his eyes and smirked.


	21. Such Sweet Sorrow

***

Thank you Jessi84, vivalavidaa, daxy, and tbsavafob for the reviews.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Warning: this chapter contains material intended only for mature audiences… erm… more so than the other chapters.

***

**Chapter Twenty-One: Such Sweet Sorrow**

The cream in Rick Stetler's coffee made lazy smoke-like patterns across the cup. He held it gingerly in his hands as he watched Horatio pour his own. The smell of the food before him mixed with the mountain air. He breathed it in as he let his eyes get lost in Horatio's gorgeous image; his fiery red hair and his sky blue eyes. It was a banquet to Rick.

Horatio looked up at Rick; he seemed so peaceful and content. He smiled at his lover, sitting there watching him.

"Thank you for ordering breakfast," Horatio said, focusing in on his food.

"Anytime," Rick whispered.

Horatio's eyes darted up at Stetler, sipping at his coffee. Rick looked back over at Horatio, his eyes shining.

Horatio got up off of the desk chair he had set up opposite Rick and joined his lover on the bed. He brought their lips together, kissing him deeply and passionately. They nuzzled for a few moments before Horatio spoke.

"I can't begin to tell you how much I have missed the sound of your voice".

"I'm sorry, Horatio".

"No… no… Rick you have nothing to apologize for".

"Well…" Stetler murmured, "I… I know what Mac saw me doing to you. And I can't help but thinking… Horatio… You'd tell me if I get too rough with you, right?"

As he spoke he opened Horatio's shirt, eyeing over the wounds he made on his lover's chest. He kissed one of the deeper ones lightly. Horatio winced at the slight pressure Rick gave him. He stroked Rick's short, brown hair; cuddling him gently.

"You haven't hurt me, Rick-"

"-but you'll tell me if I do?"

Horatio smiled as he got up and sat down at his breakfast again, taking a sip of his coffee. He thought for a few seconds before he responded.

"I will start worrying… if you ever bring in weapons".

"Don't worry," Rick smiled, "I wouldn't dream of it".

"And can you go easy with my chest? Let that get close to healing before you scratch it open again".

Rick timidly looked away before he nodded in agreement. They ate the rest of their meal in a comfortable silence, both wondering how long their charade will be able to play out.

***

It had been hours since Rick had left Horatio's room and they had gone their separate ways. The redhead was now several thousand feet above the farms of the Midwest, on his way to Miami. Horatio sat comfortably in his airplane seat, listening to his Zune and flipping though Sky Mall.

"Well, that's useless," Horatio mumbled to himself as he paged though the catalogue.

The college student sitting next to him had fallen asleep with his head in the window. Horatio had slowly been moving the other man's carryon luggage and sprawled out limbs as close to the walls of the aircraft as possible. He absently sipped at the scotch the stewardess had set down in front of him, smiling at the taste.

In all honesty, the scotch itself wasn't of that high a quality. But it didn't take much to remind him of Rick and the nights they had spent together. He could never want to forget a moment of what had happened to them in that little cabin.

Horatio's mind was pulled out of its drift as a blur walked past him, throwing a used napkin on his tray table. He had half a mind to chuck it back at the blur until he noticed the writing on it.

_As you face the back of the plane: the right lavatory, join me in 3 minutes._

Horatio bit his tongue as he tried to suppress a grin, he knew that handwriting anywhere. It was the same that he had seen in every other margin of countless reports. He pocketed the note and turned his Zune to Beethoven's Fifth, which was about three minutes long.

As he listened to the timeless chords play out before him, alluring images of Rick flashed though his mind. The thought of his lover waiting for him in the back of the plane, getting hot and bothered was a little much for him. He shifted uncomfortably as he tried to hide the growing bulge in his pants. His palms had begun to sweat; he had never joined the mile high club. He began to hope for the first time on the flight that the young man next to him would refrain from awakening, he didn't want anyone to see how steamy he was getting.

His seat buckle was already off and the tray table stowed by the time the final chords played. He quickly turned off the player and stuffed it in the pocket of his already incredibly tight pants. Horatio's face was slightly flushed as he moved swiftly to the back of the plane, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

Timidly, he knocked on the door to the lavatory. Rick opened it, for a moment pretending to just be done with his business before backing up so Horatio had room to get in. Horatio managed to close the door behind him, he really had no idea how cramped it would be in the small washrooms with two people.

"Horatio," Rick purred, the lust evident in his voice.

"Rick," the redhead acknowledged. Under any other circumstances, he would have pinned his lover to the wall with a bruising kiss. And as much as Horatio wanted the two of them to just have each other, he knew that he had to acknowledge something that was bothering him.

"I want you," Stetler cooed, stroking his lover's hair.

"Are you sure?" Horatio whispered, his brow furrowed slightly in concern, "I mean… with all that's happened… you don't have to do this, you know".

"Please. I…" Rick turned his face away. He wanted to suppress what happened between him and Mac; to suffocate the memory. He knew that nothing he could do would change the past, but he could at least pretend it could. What Mac did to him made Rick fear that he had forgotten what it was like to truly make love. He wanted to remember. He needed to remember. He felt that he would go mad if the feeling stayed with him any longer. "…I need this now".

As gently and cautiously as possible, Horatio dug his erection into Rick's hip.

Rick slowly unzipped Horatio's pants, freeing his straining cock. Horatio moaned quietly as he felt his lover fondle him gently. Every movement was brushing away their concerns about the past, if just for a little while. Stetler ran a finger up the length of the vein, watching intently as Horatio shivered. He wrapped his fingers around Horatio's shaft and rubbed his thumb over the tip, smearing the pre-cum all over the redhead's cock. Rick pulled Horatio close to him and whispered into his ear.

"I want to fuck you, will you let me?"

Horatio nodded and shoved off his boxers, turning around and bracing himself against the door. Rick lubed himself up with the antibacterial soap from the soap dispenser and slowly slipped his pulsating member into Horatio's sweet ass. He pulled their bodies flush together, gently thrusting into Horatio.

"Just don't be too rough," Horatio whispered as he rested his head on Rick's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Rick whispered, kissing Horatio's cheek as he gave a lover a reach-around. Horatio moaned, biting his lip to keep from screaming with the feeling of such intense stimulation. The two moved slowly, the sound of the jets drowning out their heavy breathing and soft moans.

Rick gave the base of Horatio's cock a gentle squeeze as he came into the redhead. Horatio whimpered, wanting desperately to cum with his lover. Not letting go of Horatio's shaft, Rick turned him around.

"I'm sorry, H," Rick whispered, tucking his spent cock back into his pants, "but we can't afford to miss any of this clean-up".

Horatio's heart was pounding as he watched Rick fall to his knees and take his entire cock into his mouth. He came hard down Rick's throat, watching through half-lidded eyes his lover swallow everything and then lick him clean.

Rick pulled Horatio's clothes back around his waist, tucking him in and zipping him up. He stood back up to feel Horatio run his tongue over his lips. Stetler gave into the assault and let Horatio's tongue massage his own. Their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed for a long moment before both burned with the need for breath.

"Are you alright?" Horatio whispered into Rick's neck, panting softly.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me".

"Rick… I… I didn't…" Horatio trailed off, not quite sure what he was asking or how to ask it.

"No," Rick cooed, shaking his head, "You're just what I needed".

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I love you, Horatio".

"I love you too. Which is why I worry that-".

"-Please," Rick cut him off, "I… let's… I'd rather not talk about it right now".

"Alright. I'm sorry," Horatio apologized.

"It's okay".

The two lightly kissed each other again, Rick checked his watch.

"We gotta get out of here before the stewardess gets onto us".

Horatio nodded in agreement, stealing one last kiss from Rick.

"See you around the lab," Horatio whispered.

The two men adjusted their clothing, making each other presentable before they turned and stumbled out of the lavatory. Rick quickly rushed down the aisle and quietly plopped down in his seat. A stewardess cocked an eyebrow at Horatio, who felt the blush creep up the back of his neck. He flashed her an innocent smile. She shook her head and waved him back to his seat, where he filled his head with music until the plane touched down in Miami.

***

Horatio wearily walked past the security checkpoint at Miami International, plane rides always seemed to take a lot out of him; this one for different reasons. Horatio smiled to himself as he thought about Rick, remembering the feeling of lips against flesh.

"Well you look happy," a familiar voice said.

Horatio looked up and saw Eric Delko standing there, his arms full of gifts from the department, most boxed chocolates. Horatio eyed them hungrily as his smile broadened.

"What's all this?"

"Word spreads fast here, H," Eric smiled, "Yelina told Ray Jr. that you had to spend a night with Stetler. He told Kyle, and Kyle… well… Kyle told the whole lab. We bought you sympathy gifts".

"Aww," Horatio cooed, "You didn't have to do this".

"You deserve it," Eric said, handing his boss a sickenly adorable and plushy teddy bear. _To Horatio. From Valera,_ read the bow around its neck,_ I know this little guy will be a preferable roommate compared to Stetler. Welcome back! _

"Aww," the redhead repeated, although at a slightly higher pitch.

Eric laughed and he led Horatio down to the baggage claim.

"I hear Mac was there too," Eric chirped as he watched Horatio pull his suitcase off the conveyor belt.

Horatio nodded, biting his lip to keep himself from telling Eric just what he thought of Mac after last night. "He's doing well," he finally said.

"The car's just outside," Eric said, leading Horatio to the doors, "You'd be happy to know that Calleigh took good care of the lab while you were out".

"Anything major and requiring my concern?"

"Nope, everything was quite under control," Eric grinned, opening the back of the Hummer and stuffing Horatio's presents and suitcase in it. "So… Horatio… we're all curious; how bad was Rick?"

"Eric," Horatio said with a gentle sigh, "he was a slice of absolute hell".

"I suspected as much," Eric nodded, turning the ignition and driving Horatio home.


	22. Epilogue

Because of how short this little epilogue is, I decided to post it alongside chapter 21. I didn't think you'd mind. Don't forget to read my notes at the end.

Also don't forget to vote in the poll.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Epilogue**

Ryan Wolfe watched quietly from a secluded corner as Horatio stormed though the brightly lit corridors of the lab, Rick Stetler right on his heels.

"Just listen to me, H," Rick whined.

"Don't call me that".

"Okay, fine. Horatio: listen…I'm just saying that Calleigh working a case that so involves her father could maybe possibly kinda _really_ be seen as a conflict of interests".

"You talk like my team is incompetent, when have we ever proved you correct in that assumption?"

"Quite a few times, actually".

Horatio spun around and glared at Rick, who sheepishly backed up a step or two.

"That came out wrong," Stetler started up again, making Horatio turn his heel and continue on his route to his office, "what I meant to say is that your team has proved itself to be flawed".

"So have you".

"Yes, but I'm not the one collecting evidence and running ballistics on my father's gun…"

Ryan watched as the two rounded the corner and turned into Horatio's office. He rolled his eyes and continued on his own route to the break room.

Horatio and Rick entered the redhead's glass office, where Horatio faced Rick again. He sighed heavily before he spoke.

"I'll talk to her about it," Horatio agreed quietly.

"Thank you".

"But she won't like it".

"Understandably so. But you know she'll listen to you before she listens to me".

"I know".

Rick shifted uneasily as he looked into Horatio's crystal blue eyes.

"So…" Rick stuttered, "We're still on for dinner on Tuesday?"

"Yes, I managed to get a private room, actually. Pakongac owes me".

"I like the sound of that".

"I figured you would".

"…Oh God, I want to kiss you".

"Don't. Glass office".

"I know, I know".

Rick gave Horatio a sweet little smile, Horatio quickly winked at him before stalking over to his desk, pretending to be offended.

"Watch out for Calleigh on your way out".

"Thanks, I'll take the back stairs".

"Love you".

"I love you too, Horatio".

FIN

* * *

Author's notes: There are so many things I want to say about this work. After all, it is my baby.

:::

It all started when I decided to listen to the commentary for CSI: Miami's "Push".

"This is the introduction of, it's only introduced in this episode, that Rick has sort of a thing for Horatio," Says the writer, "He just wants to make sure he slams him for something".

"He has a 'thing for him'?" The director asks, "…like…?"

"Well, I don't want to go too much into it, that's season 12," the writer jests, "but… erm… for now they're just friends".

I admit it, I too laughed at the idea. But after a few days of the thought wandering in and out of my head, I decided that perhaps it was time for me to bring them to life. Sure, there were other Horatio/Rick fanfictions out there, but not enough for my taste. And, as far as I could see at the time, there were no authors who wrote mostly or exclusively for them. So I sat down at my laptop and started typing, not quite sure of what I was doing.

I cranked out a few chapters before I brought my idea up in the CSI: Miami FanWiki slash thread. I was shot down… fast. As much as I tried to argue my point, nobody wanted to pursue conversation with me. So I just figured that they had no logical reason for being completely against the idea. And although I was no longer sure that I would get many readers, I kept typing.

The final product was finished by mid July. Yeah, this was all already written and thought out, how the hell else did you expect me to update twice a week? I waited until my good friend, who had posted many writings on the internet before, to come over from out of state. She was there, calming me down and telling me not to worry as I created my account and posted the first chapter. I don't know if I would have been bold enough to do it without her. So, Molly, if you're reading this (probably not, and that's okay. You don't really watch the show), thank you so much.

Several months later, with 13 Story alerts, 18 Favorite story additions, and nearly 100 reviews (as of right now); I would consider it a success. I love all my readers, but I love those who review more :P

"Some With Arrows, Some With Traps" has been a launching pad for my seasonal ficlets and all the short stories I'm currently working on.

For those of you who are wondering, there shall be a SWASWT II. Just give me a week or so before I start posting it. Midterms have me busy.

A few more thank yous are in order… I would like to thank Jessi84 for being so open and supportive of me from day 1. That's not to neglect everyone else who has been giving me support though their reviews and watchlists, of course. I would like to thank the creators and moderators of HandS for giving me hope when I had my moments of doubt. I would like to thank my friends Jim and Bryan for being such an inspiration to me. And I would like to thank my cousin Drew (who is a real writer, not an amateur like me) for listening to me bitch about my writer's block.

And… erm… that's it.

Tune in later this month for "Some With Arrows, Some With Traps II"!

…….

Horatio&Rick


End file.
